Of Shadows, Traps, and Infuriating Criminals
by The Maiden of Autumn
Summary: In a world where Kira rules, those who seek to bring him down and return the world to its former state have been forced into hiding, labeled as criminals and rebels. Among them, L is the worst, working from the shadows and in secrecy to bring about Kira's downfall, until a trap leaves him at the mercy of Kira, and things only go downhill from there. LightxL (TEMPORARY HIATUS)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

-Slightly AU- Kira/Light took over before L had a chance to pursue him

* * *

Not too long ago, the world was its usual bustling place. People went about their daily lives, many normal, hardworking people just trying to make their way in the world. For many, crime was a constant factor that had to be looked out for- you locked your doors when you left, made sure your electronics were safe inside your clothes, and were subconsciously always looking for danger. Crime was a constant thing that could not be prevented, but could be managed. And for many, it never touched their lives.

Many viewed it as an evil that could not be stopped- you just had to deal with it.

But, that was until Kira rose to power.

Within a few days, his killings of the world's most renowned and infamous criminals changed the way people thought about crime. Some viewed this Kira as a God; meting out justice to the wrongdoers, but others viewed him as a self- glorified vigilante with a god complex. Killing was wrong, and yet, many supported Kira's actions.

Nobody knew how he killed; it was a mystery, as no one knew who Kira really was, anyway. But, they did know that he could control how you died, as long as he knew your name and face. It made people extra careful to not commit any wrongdoings.

Many supported Kira, but some did not. Those that didn't worked diligently to catch the killer, but eventually, disappeared. The public could only assume that Kira had disposed of them to prevent anyone from finding out who he or she was. But these were only speculations; it couldn't be proved, and frankly, few actually cared. There weren't many people left that opposed Kira.

Eventually, support for Kira encompassed the whole world, and those who spoke out were not silenced by Kira, but his legion of worldwide supporters. The few left who had been investigating Kira either gave up for fear of their lives, died, or simply disappeared off the map.

And then, when Kira's influence had spread, and support was global, Kira chose to reveal himself, and how he killed. No one dared oppose Kira, or Light Yagami, as that was his real name. The world changed drastically after he came to power; government officials still governed their countries, but everyone knew Kira was the one controlling and monitoring their movements. Criminals were nonexistent, as they would be killed as soon as they showed their faces. The crime rate was 0%, and for all that lived in Kira's world, it was a utopia.

Or so it seemed.

Underlying the perfection of the world Kira had crafted, there was a current of fear. Many could not forget the way Kira had disposed of his opposition, and the fact that Kira could kill any wrongdoers as easily as killing a fly was rattling.

Some missed the old world, before Kira had come to power. There was crime- murders, burglaries, and the such, but at least that was known. There were steps you could take to prevent such things from happening, and it was dealt with by a mostly fair justice system. With Kira in control, he was the judge, juror- and executioner. And the dissent grew- not much, but it was still there, in the way some refused to listen to Kira's broadcasts, participate in Kira support rallies, and go to the churches that had popped up in honor of the "God" of the world he had created. But there were others, who absolutely refused to bow down to Kira's power- the radicals.

An underground faction consisting of renegade police officers, young geniuses, and a few select criminals that were pulled out of the high containment facilities before Kira had a chance to learn their name or face, the faction was led by a man known simply as "L." The group of rebels was known among the normal people as the Kira Task Force, and were notorious for the way they continually challenged Kira. They were a hero to some, and a band of common criminals to others. To Kira, they were a constant nuisance, like an infestation of cockroaches that refused to be wiped out.

And they were smart. He had never seen any of their faces, and therefore he could not learn their names. The few times his own self- appointed police force had managed to come across them, they had been careful to wear masks and had voice- changing chips sewn into the masks; it was impossible to identify them. Their headquarters were top secret as well, and obviously very well furnished in electronics and supplies.

The Kira Task Force was a constant thorn in Kira's side- they broke in where detained criminals were held, and pulled them out before Kira had a chance to learn their names and execute them. Pieces of the Death Note he had stored in museums dedicated to him around the world were routinely stolen, and returned to him a few days later in ashes. Shrines and churches dedicated to him were sacked, bibles and other depictions of God were put in place of material dedicated to him, with messages calling Kira a false deity and blasphemer. It was…annoying… to say the least.

L was the worst, though. He-and Kira was sure it was a man- often sent in tapes detailing the latest anti- Kira act, mocking him and taunting him, telling Kira to kill him, if he could. And to Kira's growing anger, he could not. He didn't have the man's face, much less his name. For all Kira knew, the man could be walking in plain daylight, and in fact, was extremely sure he was, mocking him in his own way.

But there was nothing Kira could do.

And so the crimes continued….


	2. Explosive Revelations

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing

* * *

"Sir, there's been another church sacking, two break-ins to your museums- the ashes should be arriving any day, and-"

"Enough."

Teru Mikami, Kira's Second in Command, Head of the Kira Security Team, and his most trusted follower, blinked behind his oblong glasses. Never before had Kira, or Light, been so short and curt.

Closing the file with the reports inside them, he straightened up and asked tentatively, "Sir, is there anything you would care to discuss?" Perhaps these actions by the damnable Task Force were wearing him down further than he'd thought.

"No, Mikami. You are dismissed." Taken aback by the coldness of Kira's voice, Teru simply nodded, tucked the folders under his arm, and exited the room quietly. Outside, a woman with short, dark brown hair and grey eyes was waiting patiently by the door. She looked up as soon as Teru exited, shutting the door behind him.

"How did it go, Teru?" She questioned the dark- haired man. In response, he ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair before sighing.

"These assaults and break- ins by the Task Force have been taking a bigger toll on Kira-sama than we thought, Takada," he replied.

The woman nodded, a troubled look in her eyes. "Indeed. He is becoming shorter with those he works with. I don't mind- running the world and keeping it such a peaceful place is sure to be a heavy burden on anyone, and there is no one else that could do such as Kira-sama has," Takada said reverently, before she became serious, casting a glance at the door that the man she admired was behind. "But, it shouldn't be so hard. After all he has done, he shouldn't have to deal with the criminals," she spat the word, "such as L and his followers."

Teru agreed whole heartedly. "I know. I just don't know what to do- every time they send a letter or tape, taunting us with the locations of their next attack, they always seem to slip through my fingers like dust! They're like ghosts- I can't catch them, and I'm sure that insufferable L is behind this!" It was L, no doubt. He was obviously in charge of the underground operation against Kira, the one who had been sending the tapes ever since the resistance had popped up.

And the man was a genius. Time after time, Teru and the rest of the Kira Security Team had lain in wait where the Task Force said they would hit next, on the exact day. And nothing would happen, but the next day, the museum, church, shrine, whatever would be defiled, torn apart with the contents scattered. The Task Force were like wraiths, and nothing Teru attempted was able to catch them.

Suddenly, Teru's handheld radio that he always held at his hip started crackling, a staticky voice coming through. "Sir, we've just received another tape from L. You might want to come down and listen to it." There was a strange tone in the Team member's voice, and it made Teru's brows furrow. Reaching down to unhook the radio from his belt, he switched it on. "I hear. I'll be down shortly," he spoke into it, and then flicked it off, looking back up at Takada.

Anger was burning in her grey eyes. "I wonder what that criminal is going to choose to defile this time?!" she spat.

Teru just rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a migraine coming on. He was sick and tired of dealing with L- it was too much. "I don't know, Takada. But I'll tell you as soon as I know."

Takada was the one in charge of all of Kira's press conferences and broadcasts, the one who took care of all public relations pertaining to Kira. All information he had that dealt with L he passed onto her, although he censored some of it. Not everything needed to be known to the public, and he was not naiive enough to think that everyone supported Kira- there was always some dissent with rulers, no matter how perfect or godlike they were, in Teru's opinion.

So with a heavy sigh, Teru said his goodbyes to Takada and made his way to the elevator that would lead down to the Security Team's floors.

Kira's home/workplace was divided into four levels: three aboveground, one underground. The underground level was where the Security Team operated, and where all their equipment, training gear, computers and work area was located. It could only be accessed by those with clearance, and the process of getting down there involved a handprint scan, retina scan, and insertion of a special key code into the system that changed every two hours, and was picked randomly. The new code was sent regularly to each member's personal work cell phones that they carried on them at all times, and was used solely for the purpose of communicating with other members, or in dire emergencies, Kira-sama himself.

The second floor was at ground level, and was where Kira met with the press, fans and visiting members of the government. It was like a giant living room/ office, furnished with plush carpet, comfortable chairs, and elegant tables.

The third floor was where Kira did all of his work. It was actually just a large room, with a long hallway leading to it from the elevator. It was fitted with giant computers along every wall with hundreds of tiny screens upon each one, monitored by workers, switching from random security cameras around the world. As soon as the workers saw a crime being committed, they would immediacy print out the face, location, crime, cross- reference it with the files of all registered people around the world, and send it to Kira, who would immediately send out an order to the various Security Teams station around the world. From there, they would arrest the suspect, and send him to Japan where Kira lived for immediate questioning and pending execution. Kira did have a sense of justice- there were no more big- time criminals, and so sometimes, it may have been a misunderstanding or mistake that lead to someone's arrest. Kira had a distaste for killing the innocent.

And the fourth top floor consisted of Kira's living quartets, where he slept, ate, and lived when not working.

So as Teru made his way down to the underground floor, he reflected over his meeting with Kira. Being the Head of the Team often meant that he was the bearer of bad news. And lately, with every new report of L's vandalism and crimes, Kira seemed to get more haggard, more worn down, which resulted in a decrease of patience and increase of curtness.

He clenched his fists as he stepped out of the elevator- something had to be done, but he was damned if he knew what to do. L obviously had many resources, and was smart, most likely on Kira's level of intelligence if the way he was able to elude him was anything to go by. In short, Teru was stumped as to what he could do, and unless there was some sort of miracle or slip- up on L's part, nothing could be done.

He pushed open the steel door leading to the computer room, and stepped inside, seeing the other technologists already huddled around the main computer. The door slammed shut, alerting the group of men to his presence. They snapped to attention. "Sir, the tape is ready to play. Would you care to hear it?"

"Of course." Teru dropped into a chair, finally letting his tiredness show. Not that he cared right now- his men respected him too much to judge him for it, and would not let the fact that the Head of the Team had just collapsed into a chair. They understood- they themselves were on the brink of exhaustion, working on trying to keep up with L, and maybe, maybe finally figure out where the damned headquarters were located. "Maybe this time, we'll be able to intercept him."

They all knew that would not likely happen, but no one said anything.

One of the men turned and pressed a button on the computer. Immediately, the electronically-disguised voice of L was heard.

"Gentlemen. Greetings to you all. As you all should know by now, this is L. The Kira Task Force's last raid was, of course, a success, or you would not be hearing this tape right now. As usual, you have failed to stop us- which, I admit, is extremely disappointing. I would have expected more from Kira, and the men he has chosen to work for him. And it makes me wonder- if you really are a 'God' as you claim, Kira, then shouldn't you be able to see where we're going to hit next? But then again, perhaps you are just a man, an ordinary man with an overblown ego and hero complex.

But enough of that. You most likely want to know where the next hit will be? Although, with your past performances, I don't think that telling you where we're planning to go will make any difference.

Yet, in hopes that you will actually be more effective this time around, I'll tell you. The New Kira Museum at 11:00, the Church of Kira at 11:20, and finally, the largest shrine to Kira at the edge of the city at 11:45, all tomorrow night. The next tape will be sent in the morning after, along with the usual package. I look forward to seeing you there, gentlemen- or perhaps not."

There was a click as the tape came to an end, and then silence.

Teru sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "That bastard," he groaned.

* * *

Meanwhile, the man known to the world as Kira, and to himself as Light, sat at his personal desk in his living quarters. He stared out the window, tapping his pen idly against the top of his desk, not really seeing out over the city. His mind was preoccupied with other things- namely, things starting with the letter L.

At the thought, he gripped the pen so hard it bent and almost broke in half.

The cocky bastard.

How he hated L, with his taunts and mocking ways- Light couldn't wait until the man was caught and he was the one finally in control. His new world would be complete as soon as L was captured, and made an example of to discourage any other criminal rebels.

He looked down at the Death Note that was lying open, discarded on his desk, and the files of the criminals that needed to be executed, grimacing. Thoughts of L even distracted him from his work, it would seem.

Closing the Death Note with a sigh, he pushed it away, standing up and stretching as he did so. Immediately, the sound of buttons clicking and the sound of a video game stopped in the background. Reaching out to the bowl of apples that sat on his desk, Light picked one up and tossed it over his shoulder.

The hulking black creature that accompanied Light everywhere, a shinigami tied to the Death Note, reached up and caught the apple in his claws. He sat munching on it happily as he sat on the bed next to his paused game. He was known as Ryuk, and was addicted to apples and watching the antics of humans finding them amusing. He found Light in particular extremely interesting, and was never far away.

Light picked up his coat that was draped over the back of his desk chair, shrugging it on. Ryuk perked up interestedly; he always loved to go out, as Light often bought him apples to eat on the way. "Hey Light-o, where are we going?"

"Out." Light walked to the door, Ryuuk quickly getting up from the chair to follow him out, hovering above his shoulder. "I need something to eat and time to think."

Ryuuk laughed as they made their way to the elevator. "This L is giving you a lot of trouble, huh?"

Light pressed the button to go down to the first floor, giving Ryuuk a sardonic look. "What do you think? The man is a menace- nothing we do to catch him works!"

Ryuuk just grinned in amusement. He had to hand it to L, evading the mastermind that Light was for the past few years took skill, planning, and a level of genius that was on, if not surpassing Light's own was worthy of respect. And the chase to catch the mysterious man was certainly entertaining.

* * *

The next night, at 10:57, Mikami and the rest of the men he had chosen to circle the three places L was going to strike were lying in wait. He had chosen the museum, as it was the most frequented place, and was hoping that perhaps there would be some sign that L would be there. Additionally, Mikami concluded that if he missed his chance at perhaps hopefully capturing L, he could make it to the church and then to the shrine before the next strike. So here they were, hiding in the bushes that separated the road from the lawn of the museum, the trees dotted along the border also providing cover. Suddenly, Mikami's radio started crackling, the voice of one of the head technologists back at Kira's mansion sounding excitedly.

"Sir, sir! We've managed to locate the feed L and his accomplices are using! They're communicating over a rarely-used, open frequency! It's 100.3!"

Hope flaring in Mikami's chest, yet still somewhat skeptic, he pulled out his radio and pressed the button. "This is Mikami. How can you be sure it's them?"

"Because we've managed to trace it to three separate places- all of which L said he would be striking!"

"I see. Thank you." With building excitement, Mikami quickly radioed in to the leaders of the other two teams lying in wait at the two other locations telling them of the technologist's findings, and instructing them to turn to the frequency that he was told. After informing them, he immediately turned the frequency of his own radio to 100.3, motioning his men closer and turning the volume up slightly.

The crackling of static was heard for a second as his radio attempted to locate the frequency, before finding it, and a distorted voice came through, then a few more. Excitement and anticipation built up inside his chest, making Mikami tremble- only L's followers used voice scramblers like that! It had to be the Task Force! This was it! This could be their big break, their miracle! He settled down to listen intently to the voices that were speaking.

+_This is Cloud to Sherlock. Come in Sherlock._+

So, they were obviously using aliases. Not surprising, as everyone knew that Kira killed using faces and names.

+_This is Sherlock, Cloud. Status?_+

+_Yellow and I have almost finished.+_

_+Yeah! Boom-shacka-lacka's all ready to go!+_

There was a moment of silence, before Sherlock's voice came again.

+_Perfect. Gamer? Your status?_+

_+Yo, this is Gamer. The boss is defeated; ready to advance to next level.+ _

At this, Mikami's brows furrowed. Were they talking in code?

_+Ugh. You have __**got**__ to stop with the stupid game analogies. You really need to cut back, Gamer.+_

_+That's the pot calling the fuckin' kettle black, isn't it? At least I don't get pissy like a teenage girl on her shark week like you do when you run out of chocolate, Yellow.+ _

Mikami blinked in surprise, wondering if perhaps, the technologist had been wrong. This sounded more like some sort of verbal argument between two teenage boys, if the language and context of the words were anything to go by. Or an exchange between two truckers.

_+You, my dear Gamer, are simply jealous that you cannot eat as much chocolate as I can without losing your figure, while I can eat as much as I want and still look like a leather-covered sex-god.+ _

He heard a few men cough behind their hands in shock. This was… unexpected…

_+Cough__**goddess**__cough…+ _

_+What the-! Goddess?! Are you calling me a goddamned girl?!+_

_+If the fucking shoe fits, darling.+ _

Darling? Weren't these two men? Their past words fit, as Gamer seemed male, and Yellow's indignation at the implication of being called a girl combined with being a 'god' implied that he was a man. Unless… could they be gay? Or just nettling each other?

_+You can just take that cock-sucking shoe and shove it up your goddamned, motherfucking-+ _

Yellow also apparently had a dirty mouth, as well. Mikami made a mental note that if he ever captured the one known as Yellow, he would wash that mouth out with soap before presenting him to Kira.

_+Yellow, Gamer, that is enough. This is an open frequency and currently being monitored. Do not air your dirty laundry in the open; deal with it behind closed doors.+ _

There was Sherlock's voice again. He seemed to be the leader. Could this Sherlock be L? And they knew that they were being listened to? How?! Mikami felt frustrated. If they knew this was an open frequency, there was no way that they were going to say anything incriminating!

_+I second that opinion, Sherlock.+_

_+You're such a fucking suck-up, Cloud.+_

_+No, I'm merely saying that I agree with what Sherlock has said.+_

A new voice suddenly came in over the radio.

_+This is Hotshot, Sherlock. Come in Sherlock.+ _

There was a new person. Mikami quickly connected the dots. Sherlock and the other three seemed to be in different places, which made two teams. With this new 'Hotshot' showing up, it made three teams. Three places, three teams. Mikami felt a sense of satisfaction. So, L wasn't the sole mind behind the crimes committed against Kira, just as he had suspected.

_+Copy, Hotshot. Status?+_

_+We're set to jet, Sherlock. Sunshine and I are just finishing up. Is Cloud still alive? I never did think it was a good idea to pair him with Yellow…+_

_+Ha. Ha. Very funny, Hotshot. Cloud's still alive and kicking. Unfortunately…+_

_+Unfortunately…? I must be getting crossed signals, Yellow. I mean, what with the racket I hear every night, I really think that you'd miss Cloud if you went into a homicidal rage and killed him.+_

Silence. And then, a cough.

_+Anyways, it's good to hear that you're almost done, Yellow. And that Cloud's still alive…. Sunshine, that done yet? ... Alright, we're good.+ _

Mikami heard the couple of pauses, and assumed there was another person with Hotshot. He quickly counted- there were currently six that he had heard speak.

_+It seems that everything is going perfectly.+_

_+Hey, how's everything going on your end with Crazy?+_

Crazy? Mikami quickly changed his people count to seven.

_+You know I do not approve of that name for him, Yellow. And he's just- Wait! No! Dammit, not __**that**__ button-!+_

There was a pause, and then the ground trembled and rolled as the museum in front of Mikami blew up with a loud roar and fiery explosion. Sharp pieces of glass, steel, and various other debris came shooting out every way, Mikami having only seconds to give the command to get down before diving for the ground himself, shielding his head with his arms. Luckily, the trees and bushes he and his team were under provided cover from the larger chunks, but they still got pelted with the smaller chunks, most of them hot from the combustion.

A few minutes later, Mikami felt the debris rain stop and the ground cease trembling. Cautious, he lowered his arms, looking up, seeing his subordinates doing the same thing.

"Sound off, men!" Mikami barked, wanting to make sure everyone was alive and conscious. It took a few minutes, but in the end, it turned out there was no one dead- two unconscious, a few more injured, but overall, they were in pretty good shape.

"Sir, the two criminals that were most likely in the museum- do you think that they made it out alive?"

Mikami shook his head. "I don't know. It sounded like they were right at the blasting zone…" Mikami's radio suddenly crackled.

_+…God…Dammit… Crimson…+_ There was some heavy breathing, and the sound of something heavy being shifted. _+I… told you… Never touch… the red button… until the green one's blinking!+_

Mikami blinked. "Looks like they made it."

"Do you think they could be trapped in there, sir?"

"Not likely. If they survived that, they've most likely got a secret way in and out."

_+Aw, Sherlock. Don't…. be mad. You're the one…. who put me in charge of the explosives… when you know I failed Hotshot's little… impromptu class on them. Besides, I just don't see… the green button. All I see is… the red. It's so pretty….+ _There was a pained- sounding groan. +_Goddamn it… Nailed me right in the back… Hey, I think my radio's working again..._+

A new person with a radio? Mikami could only guess that this 'Crimson' was actually the Crazy the other person had been talking about. He certainly sounded… not right in the head.

_+…I don't care, Crimson. I'm going to…Ah!...leave you behind if this-Ouch, fucker!- happens again...+_

_+Kyahehehe..+_

_+Stop laughing and…. Ungh!- get this off of me! This is… Grngh… your fault, you idiot!+_

Sherlock sounded extremely angry.

_+You have to admit, though. That marble statue fell on you just the right way. It's almost poetic justice…+_

_+Sherlock! Crimson! What happened! Are you alright?+ _

Yellow's voice filtered through, sounding panicked.

_+Do not…. worry, Yellow. We're…goddamnit!... Fine. Or I would be, if Crimson…. Got his lazy ass over here to- gahnnngh!- get this marble piece of shit off me!+_

_+Marble piece of shit…? That's interesting.+_

_+Crimson! Get this…ouch!... off of me, or so…nnngh!- help me, I'll leave you… (scratching sounds)… behind next time!+_

_+Kya… fine. Don't get your knickers in a twist+_

The sound of something heavy being shifted sounded over the radio.

_+Whoa, Sherlock. You wear knickers? Whaddya think about that, Gamer?+_

_+Kinky. Definitely kinky.+_

_+You are all staying behind next time!- __**WATCH!**__ Where you grabbing, Crimson!- And I don't wear knickers. It's simply a saying, an idiom- __**Ouch**__! You moron! Be careful!+ _

There were more scraping sounds, and a grunt of effort from the disguised voice of Crimson. A crash, and then some panting was heard.

_+There, it's off, it's off…+_

_+Are you alright, Sherlock?+_

_+Hey, what about me, Cloud? I was hurt, too! And I had to move that huge-ass statue of fucking Kira off of him!+_

_+But you were obviously well enough to help Sherlock get a marble statue off of his body…+_

_+Wait, a marble statue of Kira landed on Sherlock?+_

_+Yeah.+_

_+Hey, why don't you smash the damn thing's head in for me? Do us all a favor and smash it to rubble?+_

_+What a wonderful idea… Hey, I wonder if I've got an extra stick of dynamite here…. I could light it up and stick it in between the motherfucker's legs if I did…+_

_+Good idea, Crimson. Hey, maybe you aren't a crazy homicidal asshole after all…+_

_+Thank you, you dickhead.+_

Sherlock's voice suddenly buzzed in.

_+Crimson, you cannot actually be serious about this… We're in too close of proximity to be doing that and- Wait, why are you doing reaching down there? I don't want to see you groping yourself- Crimson, __**what**__ were you doing with __**that**__ down there? ... No, I don't think it'll light; it's probably too sweaty… Okay, okay, I was wrong. It wasn't too sweaty …... Ah, how did you fit that dynamite down __**there?- **__NO__**, DON'T LIGHT IT!**_

_+Oops, too late. Guess we better run? Hey, wait for me!+_

Oh shit. Did they really…? The sacrilege of one of Kira's statues was momentarily forgotten as another boom shook the already burning museum, making all of the team duck down again.

Mikami cursed as the already demolished museum exploded once more, sending- for the second time- a rain of rubble down upon him and his men. After everything cleared, the radio crackled again.

+_...What the hell was that, Crimson? Dynamite doesn't cause explosions like that!_+

+_…Well, you know, now that I think about it… I __**might**__ have packed some C4 into a dynamite case. Just to save room, you know. I must've forgotten it was __**that**__ case that had the higher explosive…. Heh. Tricky little bastard…+_

_+Crimson, if I didn't love you, I'd toss you out to the police that are waiting in the bushes even as we speak for pulling that little stunt…+_

Mikami blinked. The two criminals knew they were out here? Which meant… they were in a position in which they were able to be seen.

They were outside the museum.

Realization dawned and Mikami quickly rushed into action.

He stood up, grabbing his bullhorn and switching it on. "You two! We know you're near the museum! Come out with your hands up!"

At Mikami's actions, the rest of his men stood up as well, cocking their guns, and stepping out of the bushes, training the lights on their police helmets onto the now demolished museum.

_+Aw, damn it all… Looks like they got us…+_

_+Indeed, Crimson. What ever shall we do..?+_

The two voices, heavily ladened with mocking tones, came over the radio. He ignored it, though, training his gaze onto the building, waiting. They couldn't escape-the building was surrounded, after all.

Not long after, two dark figures emerged from the museum, casually striding closer, stopping about 10 yards from where Mikami was standing. "Hands in the air," Mikami yelled, pulling out his own pistol and pointing it at the pair.

The one on the left shook his head. "No can do, Teru Mikami." The distorted voice held a mocking tone, and that combined with the calling of his real name made a shiver go down his spine. He had never given any indication as to his identity, and very few people knew who he actually was.

The figure that had spoken previously walked closer, black- clad arms crossing over his chest. From where the man was standing, Mikami could see that he was clad in a black bodysuit, with sturdy black shoes, black leather gloves, and a full mask, leaving only a hole large enough for his mouth and presumably eyes. The eyes, however, were covered by night vision goggles, and his mouth by a device that he supposed was the voice-scrambler.

The second man was dressed the same way, leaving both figures both faceless and unidentifiable. They really had covered their tracks well; he could pass these men on the street and have no clue as to who they were.

But his fear at the man knowing his real name must have shown on his face, because the first figure chuckled distortedly, coming even closer. The sound of many guns cocking caused Teru to jolt. They couldn't kill this man, at least not yet! He could have valuable information if they managed to subdue him! He looked over to where his second-in-command was standing tensely, gun cocked and a hardened expression on his face.

"Stand down!" Mikami barked, returning his gaze to the figure in front of him. Immediately, his well- trained men did as he ordered, although there was still a certain tenseness hovering in the air.

Another distorted chuckle came, and the first man reached up with one hand to pull off his goggles, holding his arm over the hole left for his eyes. "Ah, thank you. I was worried I might be shot in the heat of the moment."

That mocking tone made Mikami's teeth grind together. Arrogant asshole. He knew that Mikami wouldn't shoot him- he knew he was valuable due to his connections to the Kira Task Force. "Enough. Why choose to come out now, when before, you and your measly little members hid in the shadows, slinking around to do your dirty deeds?"

"Me and my group? Oh, you presume too much," the man said smugly. "I'm really not that important; actually my friend and I here wouldn't have even made an appearance tonight if it weren't for the fact that L has grown bored."

A collective shock ran over the police gathered at the mention of L's name. "What do you mean?" Teru questioned.

"Your continuous, pathetic, failed attempts at apprehending even one of our group has bored L. And I don't blame him- I mean, really. He gives you all the dates, times, and places we're going to hit, and you still can't catch us?" He shook his head. "Sad."

Mikami's temper flared at the condescending words, but he kept it in check. "What, exactly, are you here for then, other than to insult both myself and Kira-sama?"

"L sent us to give you a message- he wants the stakes raised a bit, and perhaps, give you more incentive to find us."

"What message did he send?" Mikami was getting tired of pussyfooting around the issue. Never taking his eyes off the man in front of him, he discreetly made a signal to the man to the right of him, knowing it would be seen and passed around.

The man in front of him reached up with his free hand to pull the device way from his mouth, showing off thin red lips pulled upwards in a smirk. He stepped closer, close enough for Mikami to be able to see his features clearly, if they had not been hidden from sight. And then, he leaned closer, almost in Mikami's face, and removed his arm from his eyes.

The eerie red eyes of the man before him bored into his own, and fear froze Mikami in shock.

He had once heard Kira-sama talking about such red eyes- Shinigami Eyes- that were able to see the true name and lifespan of any human on Earth. He had talked of those eyes with such longing- and Mikami understood. Kira would truly be God, then, if he was in possession of such eyes! Able to execute any criminal immediately, rather than going through the arduous process of having to make them crack and give them the names themselves, or search through the records!

But, the Eyes could only be gotten by one who possessed a Death Note and made the Eye Deal. This man, he was certain, did not possess a Death Note, otherwise he and many other Kira supporters would be long dead.

So how did this man have the eyes that Kira-sama coveted so greatly?

The red lips tugged upwards even more, becoming almost a full-fledged grin. "L wants you to tell Kira that he has a person with the Eyes- and to catch us if he can. Some incentive to spur Kira on, if you will."

Then, the man started backing off, replacing his night vision goggles and voice-scrambler back onto his face.

Mikami snapped out of his shock at the man's actions. Kira-sama needed those eyes! He couldn't let the man possessing the one thing that Kira wanted- well, besides L- get away! Bring up his gun, he aimed it at the man's shoulder. "He's got the Eyes!" Mikami yelled to his men, knowing they would understand. "Don't let him get away!"

Immediately, his men pulled themselves up, aiming their guns at them, spotlights illuminating the slender figures of the two black- clad men.

Saluting, the man dipped his head. "Sorry, but we're not gonna stick around to party."

Turning, he ran swiftly back to his waiting companion, both of them taking off back towards the demolished museum. Cursing, Mikami took off after them, signaling 3 of his men to follow him. "The rest of you, stay back in case they come out again!" Mikami yelled over his shoulder.

Turning his attention back to the museum, he squinted just in time to see the two figures jump tin over a large rock and disappearing into the hole in the museum's walls. He followed, directing two of the men to go left, while he and the other took the right.

The museum was dark, as the two explosions had broken the lightbulbs and severed the electrical cords keeping them lit. Mikami and his companion turned on their flashlights, guns held at the ready as they cautiously made their way into the dark, destroyed halls of the museum.

There was no sign of the two Kira Task Force members; in fact, the museum was silent, Mikami's other two men too far away to be heard. Still, there was the sense of being watched, and that alone made Mikami's whole body tense, his nerves and senses tingling.

"Sir," his companion spoke up, "I don't think we'll find them. There's a very good chance that they've already-ACK!" Mikami whirled around at the sound of his companion's words being cut off by a surprised exclamation.

He opened his mouth to ask if he was alright, when he was hit from behind, hard enough to send him sprawling onto the ground, face- down. Before he had a chance to recover, a single sharp weight pressing down onto the middle of his back and two on his shoulders held him in place.

"I see we meet again, Mikami Teru."

It was the man's-Sherlock's- voice! The bastard had ambushed him!

He tried struggling out from under Sherlock's weight, but even though the man didn't feel that heavy, he was exceptionally strong and had pinned him down expertly, pressing just a little bit on the pressure points located on his spine and shoulders. "You are a very persistent man, Mikami. I respect that. Unlike Kira, you seem to actually be making an effort to capture me."

Capture him? Why the hell would this crazy bastard think he was coming solely after him? He was chasing L- the Task Force had to know that! Everyone knew that he was trying to…capture…L…

He stilled his struggling as realization dawned.

L.

The man that was here tonight, that was pinning him down now….

Was L.

A distorted chuckle came from the criminal. But how could it be L? It was not the same voice that he used in his recordings. Although, he could have changed voice scramblers. "I see you've figured it out. You are extremely intelligent- something I also respect." There was a sound of rustling, and what sounded like paper crackling. "However, I find myself losing respect for Kira- not once has he attempted to apprehend me himself, and if the best he can do is send out his watchdogs, then he must not be as good as I hoped him to be."

What was this lunatic talking about? Did he _want_ to get caught?

L seemed to pick up on his thought process. "To put aside any doubts, Mikami, I do not want to get caught, nor will I- I'm quite confident in my abilities. However, there is no challenge breaking into these places and destroying them- the security is shoddy, the effort it takes is almost nonexistent, and no matter how many papers from the Death Note we destroy, there always seems to be more being replaced. Kira is a genius- he should be able to do better than this. The fact that he has not is proof that he must think so little of us that he does not feel the need to bother. This is the reason why I've shown my face tonight- I'm upping the stakes."

The whole time L spoke, there was the sound of something being written on a piece of paper. When he finished talking, the sound ceased and L sighed. "To tell you the truth, this whole scheme has become boring- and not just to me. In fact, the only times that we truly care about enacting a scheme is when Kira captures someone with skills that could be put to use. Otherwise, this is just a form of entertainment. But I've talked long enough."

Suddenly the weight was lifted from his body, and Mikami immediately looked up, to find himself staring into the masked face of L. Very slowly, the detective reached up and pulled off his night vision goggles. The slight amount of light still emanating from the flashlight illuminated L's eyes, and Mikami found himself looking into large, seemingly endless pools of obsidian.

"Tell Kira what my associate told you tonight, Mikami, or something like this will happen again, although there _will_ be casualties."

Mikami flinched as L's free hand suddenly flashed in front of his eyes, driving something deep into one of the cracks left behind in the marble tile, right next to his head. "A present, Mikami, for your leader. Until next time."

Wi th that, L stood up, fixed his goggles, and was gone, almost as if he had melded into the shadows.

Blinking, Mikami sat up, his eyes still fixed on what L had driven into the ground- it was a knife, serrated, long, and deadly- looking. He blanched- if L had had this on him the whole time, he could have been killed at any time. So why had he done this…?

His eyes traveled down the blade, narrowing suddenly behind his glasses as he saw a piece of paper attached to it. Mikami reached out and tugged the knife free, some dust from the tile scattering as he did so. Plucking the paper off of the end, Mikami grabbed the previously discarded flashlight and shone it on the paper- actually, two pieces of paper, one on top of the other.

He read what was written on it, eyes widening as the message sunk in. He had just finished when a groan from his knocked- out companion reminded him that he was here, and hurriedly stuffing the paper and knife into the pocket on his vest, he hurriedly got up and rushed over to the man's side, checking for injuries.

However, the whole time, the thought of what was written on the paper consumed his thoughts.

It was the stolen piece of Death Note, thankfully blank, with a note on a normal piece of paper attached. L had written a message on there:

_Kira-_

_ The Eyes are ours, as well as pages of the Death Note. You know what this means, __**Yagami Light. **__The stakes are raised- if you want the Eyes, you must work for them. If not, we see fit to start killing off your followers to give you more motivation, starting with your faithful lapdog._

_Let the real games begin. _

_-L_


	3. A God's Scheme

Chapter 2

Disclaimer:The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing

-The Maiden of Autumn would like to thank her two reviewers for the last chapter. They were very much appreciated, and she is glad they like the story so far.

* * *

Sliding into the stone- walled room lined with closets each bearing a name plaque above their opening and benches, 7 black-garbed figures slipped into the room, one of the seven covered with dust and various bits of debris.

They waited until the door had slid shut and locked, sealing any sounds inside the room, before commencing to talk.

One of the figures hastily ripped off his goggles, voice-scrambler, and mask, rounding in a whirl of shoulder-length blonde hair, on another figure who was slouching across the room to his own closet.

"What the hell was that, B?!" the blonde shouted, anger making his startling blue eyes blaze. "You could have gotten L killed with that little dynamite stunt!"

Beyond was just pulling off his own mask, turning to face his verbal assaulter as he did so. "Technically, Mello, it was C-4, not dynamite."

The others just ignored the two men; they were always fighting, and attempting to interfere never led to good results. Although, the others did have to agree somewhat with Mello- Beyond's stunt had been crazy, and had put both him and L in danger.

Mello's striking blue eyes narrowed. "I don't care what the hell it was, B! You obviously weren't thinking of L's safety when you did that! Eyes or not, if you ever put L into that sort of dangerous situation again, I'll toss you to Kira myself!"

Beyond snorted, unimpressed with Mello's display of anger. "I seriously doubt that, _Mihael,_ unless you want Kira finding out all the Task Force's names." But then, his face grew serious, and he glared at Mello, who was blanching at the use of his real name. "And don't you _ever_ suggest I would do anything to put L in danger. I knew exactly what I was doing; if what I was going to do would affect L at all, I would know," he said coldly, tapping the corner of his right eye.

Unable to retort in any way, Mello just gave Beyond a hateful look, then turned and angrily began jerking off his black suit, gloves and boots, tossing them into his closet and storming out of the room.

Beyond ignored him, turning away to divest himself of his own clothes. Silence reigned for a few seconds, until a smaller, white- haired teen spoke up. "We know you wouldn't do anything to purposely put L in danger, B," he said in a quiet voice, "but sometimes, your actions, if L was not as observant and attentive as he is, could harm him. Both of you are vital to the Task Force," he continued, seeing Beyond stiffen, "but we would not be here without L- he is essential to all of our survival, so it tends to make us more paranoid about his safety."

Beyond sighed, tossing his boots into his closet, where they landed in a jumbled heap. "Always the voice of reason, Near," he said, shaking his head. "It insults me to think that any of you would insinuate I'd put my own twin in harm's way."

"B…"

But Beyond ignored Near in favor of putting the rest of his equipment up, then quickly slid into his normal clothes- a black, overlarge sweater, baggy jeans, and black tennis shoes. Just as he was tying up his shoes, another man came slouching in the door, the metal opening and then closing behind him, sliding shut with a hiss.

Beyond looked up, and a grin took over his face. "L."

The man who looked exactly like Beyond, save for what he was wearing- the exact replicas of Beyond's clothes, except for the black being replaced by white- and black eyes instead of red, nodded at Beyond. Then, L frowned. "Where is Mello?"

"He left," Gevanni, a tall, dark- haired, handsome man with grey eyes said from a corner of the room, where his closet was located. "He and B had… words. Again."

"Ah," L nodded. That was nothing new. The two had never gotten along, for some reason he couldn't fathom. To everyone else he worked with, it was obvious that Mello, who practically worshipped L, was jealous of Beyond's closeness to his idol, and Beyond, in return, was tired of the little blonde annoyance that kept trying to get in between him and his twin, and always criticized Beyond for his actions.

"Anyway, I would like to congratulate all of you on today's mission; it went off without a hitch, and Kira got my note, as well as knowledge of Beyond's possession of the Eyes. Well done, everyone."

"What?" Matt asked up, looking up from his laptop that was settled on his lap, "What note? And Kira knows that we have someone who has the Eyes? And what about the incident at the museum? You two could have been killed!"

L smiled a small little half-smile. "B and I came up with a plan that would hopefully make Kira desperate and force him to make a mistake, in which we could apprehend him. We threatened Kira with the pieces of Death Note we've been stealing and the Eyes. And do you really think I would let someone who wasn't trained in explosives handle even a small cherry-bomb?

"B has had extensive training outside Gevanni's instruction. All of it was carefully planned out. We had to find a situation that would force B and I out of the museum and into Mikami's line of sight, with an escape route easily accessible. The only thing Beyond and I could come up with was to blow up the museum with us in it- it would force us to do out in the clearing that Mikami was waiting in, and give us easy access in and out of the museum and therefore, out escape route. Everything, from the infiltration, to the explosion with the C-4, to the revealing of the Eyes, was all planned out."

All eyes swiveled to B, who was standing next to L, arm resting on his twin's shoulder. "We had to make the explosion look like an accident, so B pretended as if he had accidentally filled a dynamite case with C-4, when in reality, we already had the place wired- thanks to Watari, who left before we did to do so. However, we miscalculated the distance needed to get out of the way, so there was no need to fake getting some of the explosion's blast. Everything was orchestrated from the beginning. We didn't tell you, because unfortunately, some of you are bad actors, and we feared you wouldn't be able to react to the explosion with convincing concern."

As L finished, Beyond stared around the room, locking eyes with each member in turn, as if saying, _See, I knew what I was doing. And you all thought I was going to get him killed._

Then, there was a cough from Matsuda. "So, L, what's our next plan?"

L shrugged. "We wait to see how Kira responds."

"Then, we plan from there," Beyond continued for his twin. "And who knows- this time, I actually may kill L in the process." He dropped his arm from his twin's shoulder and stalked out of the room, the doors opening and closing automatically behind him.

L watched him go, then turned back to the rest of the Task Force members in the room. "Did you all really think that B would put me in danger?" L demanded, realizing what had happened to make Beyond react like he did.

The silence only served to make L know his assumption was correct. Narrowing his eyes, he leveled a wintry glare on all of them. "B may have slight mental problems, but he is in possession of all mental facilities, and as his twin, it insults me as well when you refer to him as crazy. It further angers me that you think he would ever do anything to put me in harm's way. B may have killed before, but do not make the mistake of thinking that I would ever become one of his victims. I suggest you alter your way of thinking, or there will be serious repercussions."

Then, L turned and walked to the door, intent on finding his brother, but stopped right before he exited. "Make sure Mello knows what I've said as well. It would seem that perhaps, he's the one who needs to come to terms with the position B holds here the most." And with that, he was gone, leaving the rest of the Task Force Members, who had never heard L say that much in one sitting before, in shock.

* * *

"And that's all he said, sir," Mikami finished, standing nervously before Kira as he gave his report on the previous night.

A night that had been a failure, Kira knew. As all the other ones were failures. But this one was the worst.

L had been right there, within reach, and he still had gotten away!

Never looking up, Kira continued scanning the note from L that Mikami had presented to him, rereading it over and over. "You may go, Mikami."

His tone brooked no argument, and Mikami wasted no time in gathering his files together, bowing respectfully and striding out of there as quickly as possible. Lately, Kira's patience had been pushed thinner and thinner, and Mikami was dreading the day L made him snap.

Kira, now that he was alone, allowed his composure to slip. Hands tightening around the Death Note, he gritted his teeth as he stared blankly down at the pages with the names of the world's criminals written on them.

Damn.

That.

L.

Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, he slowly pried his fingers off the black, worn cover of the book and sat back in his comfortable, custom- made chair.

_Think, Light._ He thought to himself. _Think of a new approach. Attempting to apprehend L while he's out and about isn't working… We need a new approach…_

To be truthful, Kira-Light-was starting to feel a bit desperate. L had always been a nuisance, someone that continually pissed him off, but until now, he hadn't been a serious threat.

But now, L had raised the stakes by threatening to kill him, Kira, if he didn't try harder.

The audacity the man had, suggesting that he wasn't trying to catch the one person that kept giving him so much goddamned trouble!

And, they had the Eyes… that was something to consider. With the Eyes, and possessing at least one page of the Death Note, the Kira Task Force had an advantage- one that he didn't. They really had the home field advantage-

Home?

A sudden thought struck him, and Light jolted upwards, papers scattering at his rapid movement.

Of course; why hadn't he thought of it earlier?!

What Mikami had said…

Damn it, what had he said? He really must be out of it if he couldn't remember what Mikami had said just a few minutes prior; this deal with L had really gotten him worked up!

Still, he couldn't risk losing his sudden inspiration, and so, shoving the papers away to form a jumbled mess that would have driven his OCD crazy any other day, he frantically reached for the button that would connect him to his secretary's desk.

There was a little beep, and his secretary's pleasant, if somewhat bland voice filtered through. "Kira-sama?"

"Send up Mikami immediately; tell him it's urgent," Light demanded, not bothering with any pleasantries. There was no time; not when, for the first time in months, he had an idea on what to do about the nuisance named L.

"O-of course, Kira-sama," the secretary replied, not used to the sudden assertiveness in Kira-sama's tone that had been absent for quite awhile. "Immediately, Kira-sama."

There was a click as the secretary disconnected, and then a loud beep that resonated through the building as the secretary turned on the intercom. "Mikami Teru, your presence is required by Kira-sama immediately. I repeat, Mikami Teru, please report to Kira-sama's office immediately."

Settling back in his chair, Light clasped his hands together, a smirk forming on his face as the plan formed in his mind.

If what Mikami reported L saying held true…

Then this new plan might just work.

Within a minute, there was a knock at his door, and knowing it was Mikami, Light called for him to enter. Warily, unsure of what prompted his beloved Kira-sama to call him back so suddenly, Mikami walked slowly into the room, closing the door behind him. He then bowed deeply in front of Light. "Kira-sama?" he asked questioningly.

Light smiled; the formulation of this brilliant new plan had put him into a good mood, the first one he'd had in ages. "Don't worry, Mikami. You did nothing wrong. I simply wish to discuss L's words with you."

Lifting his head, Mikami nodded and straightened up, relieved at Kira-sama's words. "What does Kira-sama wish to know?"

Suddenly, inexplicitly excited at the prospect of being able to catch that bastard L, Light stood up and went to stand in front of the large window giving him a wonderful view over all of Tokyo. He just couldn't stand to sit, not when such a perfect plan was brewing in his mind.

"You said L only cared about one of his damned schemes when we had captured someone worth something to them… repeat his exact words for me, Mikami," Light demanded.

Mikami, like many geniuses, had been blessed with a near- perfect memory, and it took him only a few seconds to recall what L had said. "…The only times that we truly care about enacting a scheme is when Kira captures someone with skills that could be put to use," Mikami repeated with perfect accuracy.

Light smirked, nodding. "Perfect, Mikami."

Mikami smiled, glowing in Kira-sama's praise.

Light continued talking. "Now, Mikami, let me ask you this; there are still criminals out there, that we capture, despite them knowing the penalty for daring to commit a crime, is there not?"

"Of course. There are always those who think they can get away with crimes, although we always apprehend and bring them to justice," Mikami replied immediately, frowning at the sudden change in topics. They both already knew this; why was Kira-sama asking him this?

Light nodded. "Good. And where do we usually keep these criminals while waiting for their execution?"

"In the prison to the north of Kira-sama's building. Pardon me, Kira-sama, but I don't see what this has to do with anyth-"

Light cut him off, a coy little smile flirting at the edges of his lips. "I know, Mikami. Just humor me."

Mikami quieted, waiting, confused, for Kira-sama's next words.

After a moment, Light continued. "We keep the prisoners in the prison, Mikami. And what usually happens when L takes an interest in one of them?"

"They're broken out, Kira-sama."

"Hm. Yes, L _infiltrates_ the prison, _going inside_ the _prison_ to _retrieve_ the criminals. And what usually happens to the security guards in charge of the prisoner? What does L do to them?"

"He knocks them out, Kira-sama. He never kills them."

Light chuckled at this. "Yes, Mikami. L _interacts _with the security guards in order to get the prisoner. L gets close enough for them to touch him." He turned around, facing a still very confused Mikami, who was even more so now, seeing Light's nearly victorious smile and the way his eyes seemed to light up. "Close enough for, say, a contingent of fine security guards to apprehend him if he was unfamiliar with the layout of the building and the guards had the home-field advantage?" Then, Light truly grinned, a beatific smile overtaking his face as he gave the last clue to his plan. "Close enough for L to be caught in a trap that was set for him?"

A beat of silence ensued, then Mikami's mouth opened in a little 'o' as he caught onto what Kira-sama was saying. And then, a feral grin, much like Kira's, twisted his face. "Kira-sama, I think something can be arranged."

"Perfect," Light practically purred, then tossed a file to Mikami, who caught it deftly. "This is the criminal. You know what to do, Mikami. I trust you won't let me down," Light stated, the last part not a question in any aspect.

Twisting his hand over his heart in a gesture of fealty, Mikami bowed deeply. "I will make this work, Kira-sama," Mikami breathed reverently, already calculating what he would need to have done in order for Kira-sama's brilliant, marvelous plan to work properly. "It will be done to your high expectations."

"I trust it will, Mikami," Light said, turning back to the window, basking in the last rays of the sun and his newly-formed plan, the plan that was his first ray of hope in months. "You won't let me down, I know."

* * *

(A few weeks later….)

"L, there's a news broadcast on Channel 9 that you might want to watch," Watari's voice came from a computer that had suddenly popped up with a white screen with a black, gothic letter W on it. "It has information that might be crucial for you to know."

Reaching forwards, Beyond pressed the button on the microphone for his brother. "Thank you, Watari," L said, never stopping his rapid typing, his fingers flying over the keys. Then, Beyond let go of the button and picked up a remote, holding it up over his shoulder to turn on the TV without ever turning around.

Immediately, channel 9 blared from the TV behind them, and it was only then that Beyond and L turned around to watch what was being aired. The rest of the Task Force members, working at their separate work spaces behind the twins, also looked up from what they were doing.

The TV showed a woman that they knew to be Kira's head of public relations and reporter, a woman they knew was named Takada. In the background, a person with a black covering over their head was being shoved roughly into a high- security police van, both hands and ankles cuffed.

"As you can see, the notorious thief, the Black Shadow, known for her many and various thefts of valuable objects from museums around the world, was finally captured today after tripping an alarm in the downtown Tokyo National History Museum. She was attempting to steal a 2nd century, 24karat gold statue of Buddha, one of the most priceless artifacts from that time period. Her record shows over_ 300 _thefts, many of them nearing this magnitude of severity, and not one artifact has ever been recovered.

Surely, this woman is one of the most notorious burglars of all time, and as such, instead of being held in the common jail north of Kira-sama's residence, she will instead, be held at a specially constructed facility finished just mere hours ago when word got out about the Black Shadow's whereabouts and consequent capture. Built underground in Kira-sama's residence, it was built especially to hold criminals of this level, and not even the Black Shadow will be able to enact a miraculous escape. This, I'm sure, is finally the end of the master thief…"

Takada trailed off and the cameraman zoomed in closer to the prisoner, who was being locked into the seat of the van, making sure that she was holding nothing that could be used to aid an escape.

Beyond raised the remote and turned off the TV, swiveling back around to face his own computer, L doing the same and everyone else going back to work, chatting about the thief that had just been captured.

Meanwhile, L was closing what he had been working on, instead pulling up another window on his computer.

"L…" Beyond started, glancing back at the TV, "it seems like such a waste to just let someone with that talent be disposed of…" he trailed off and grinned as he saw what L was doing. His twin was already sending him the codes to hack into Kira's security mainframe, and steal the blueprints to the place where the murderer resided.

"I know, B." L replied. "You know what to do."

Cracking his knuckles, Beyond cackled. "Damn Kira's servers won't know what hit them." Then, hunching over, he typed in an URL, entering a password which let him into the home of Kira's private server. While L was a brilliant hacker in his own right, he had focused more on the actual problem solving, while he let Beyond take care of the more technical things, such as hacking and dealing with the records.

So, Beyond opened another page and got down to business, using the codes L sent him to hack into the server and dodge the alarms and traps, and slip into Kira's security to obtain the blueprints of the building.

* * *

Light smirked as he watched the news broadcast. The thief he was using was guilty of all the crimes Takada said she was- the only thing not true in her little speech was the fact that they had just apprehended her.

The Black Shadow had actually been apprehended a few weeks ago, in absolute secrecy, and had been held here until the necessary additions needed to capture L had been completed. Finished just yesterday, Light had immediately put his plan into action, scripting a broadcast for Takada to cover and revealing the capture of the Black Shadow, albeit with a few twisted truths.

While it was a shame to let her go instead of executing her, trading the notorious thief for the person who had been plaguing him for so long, who was the head of the resistance against him was a worthy trade, in his eyes. Besides, the way he saw it, once a thief, always a thief, and Light was sure that she would slip up again one day and he would have her right back here again.

He leaned back into his chair, crossing his hands behind his head and chuckled, taking his eyes off the TV screen to watch his open laptop, screen set onto the blueprints of his residence. They were actually fake, with the rooms and floors above ground twisted around, the entrances put in entirely the wrong places, for safety measures, of course. Only the underground levels' plans were correct, the special, new additions outlined in high detail.

Everything was set up, and now all he had to do was wait…

And a few minutes later, Light's patience was rewarded.

The screen started flashing red, alerting him to a hacker currently trying to slip past his security and gain access to the blueprints he currently had up. With a little laugh, he smirked victoriously as he reached forward to type in the necessary code to turn the alarm off.

Sitting back, he watched as the blueprints were hastily copied and the hacker withdrew, leaving no trace behind whatsoever. The screen flashed once and then a message flashed across the screen- Security Enabled, Computer and Content Secure.

Light had to give the hacker working for L credit, unless it was L himself- he was good, whoever it was.

Still, he was pleased. The broadcast had the desired effect.

Standing up, he ignored the black, hulking form that got up with him to follow Light out of his office, the brunette smiling happily as everything fell into place.

"Hey, Light-o, you really think this is gonna work?"

Light chuckled. "Of course. This is the perfect plan. Everything's gone flawlessly up till now; why wouldn't it continue to do so?"


	4. Failsafe

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

"The thief's name is Wedy Anson, although I'm sure it's an alias- no thief would have their real name floating around on any real identification," L muttered. "Her skills are impressive- she would be an invaluable asset to the team…"

"The files are being sent to you now," Beyond said, glancing at the clock, and then smiling. Swiveling around, he pointed at Matt, who was playing Final Fantasy 4 on his PSP and smoking a cigarette. "I hacked Kira's servers in under 15 seconds, Matt! Beat that, butterfingers!"

Matt deigned to look up from his game at the insult to his hacking skills. Raising a single middle finger, he directed it right at Beyond. "Go fuck yourself, asswipe."

Beyond simply cackled and spun back around, grabbing his jar of jam and plunging his fingers into it, watching as L pulled up the newly-gained blueprints onto his computer and beckoned Beyond over. Propelling himself over on his rolley chair, Beyond sucked on his jam-coated fingers as L pressed a button on the keyboard, and the screen zoomed in on the blueprints.

L scrolled over and zoomed in again, focusing the screen on the new cell that had been built.

As the twins scanned the layout, Beyond let out a whistle. "Security's locked up tighter than a virgin's arse, L," Beyond muttered as he looked closer at the screen, absentmindedly sucking on a jam- coated finger. "It's gonna be hell trying to get in there."

L shook his head at Beyond's words, biting into a coconut and caramel cookie from the plate at his elbow. "No, B, look closer," he said, using his free hand to extend a finger and point at a spot on the screen. "Look- the wall there connects to our secret entrance in the sewers. The walls outside of the cell are thinner than the three that make up the cell, and the iron bars. Obviously, Kira was expecting us to break in to get her directly from the cell and not have to bother with the bars. If we can get through the normal walls, the bars would be the only obstacle."

"But, L," Beyond sighed, "_see_ what the bars are made of? There's no way we're gonna get through those bars fast enough. And, they were placed when the concrete was still wet, rather than leaving holes for them and placing them. That means they might as well be goddamned welded to the concrete. And I can't use any explosive; at that close of range, it would kill the thief."

L frowned, nibbling on the side of the cookie. "Is there any way you could control the blast?"

Beyond nodded contemplatively. "I still have some of the low-blast clay. Rather than creating a large explosion, it creates a smaller, hotter one. It's used for cracking safes open and the such- delicate explosives, they're referred to as. It might work-it should, at least, if what I remember from using the explosive in the past before is any indication. I don't have enough to test it, though- just enough to get through the bars, so it would be all or nothing. You wanna take that chance, L?"

L nodded. "That woman has valuable skills- she's a better infiltrator than any of us, even Near. She'd be an invaluable addition to the team."

Beyond sighed, shifting out of his crouch to stretch his long legs out. "Alright. So, say the explosive doesn't work; what then?"

"We drop everything and get the hell out of there. However valuable Wedy is, she's not worth any of our lives."

Beyond grinned, then leaned forwards. "Alright. I was hoping you'd say that. If you would have insisted on breaking her out at any cost, I wouldn't have agreed to go along with this, but since you did put a limit on it… Let's do it!" Beyond excitedly licked more jam from his fingers, returning his eyes to the screen and cackling under his breath. "I have to say, L, the thought of breaking into Kira's own mansion and stealing his prize criminal right out from under his nose… it gives me delightful chills all up and down my spine," he cackled.

L shook his head at his brother, but silently agreed. Breaking into Kira's own mansion, his place of living, was something he had never dared try before; it was too dangerous, the chances of being caught too high for him to ever risk himself, his brother, or any member of the team.

But now, with this one little weakness in the cell that held the master thief, his chance at finally breaking into Kira's mansion, of showing the murderer that he was _L_, that he was alive, active, and not going to give into Kira and was fighting to regain the old world…

He was going to take that chance!

Leaning forwards, L pushed his plate of cookies off to the side and pulled up the maps of the sewers leading to Kira's mansion, beginning at where the secret entrance closest to Kira's mansion was and ending at the entrance that would be the most logical choice to enter Kira's mansion from.

The Task Force's base was located in the sewers running underneath the city. Many years ago, part of them had collapsed, killing the maintenance workers who were in the area at the time. The sewers were closed off, and a new sewer system was built above the old one.

This, of course, left a whole system empty and abandoned, and this was where the Kira Task Force had fled to when support for Kira grew to such extremes that continuing in their line of work openly would endanger their lives.

Using his large fortune built up from his cases as Denueve and Coil, and his connections as L, work was quickly started on setting a whole new base up in the old sewers.

The whole system was cleaned out, soundproofed, and all the data, technology and belongings of the members who chose to continue to work under L were moved in, all in the span of a few weeks.

The new base for the Task Force was totally under the scope-top secret, and unable to be detected. Various entrances and exits led out from the base to the new sewers, and from there, designated "safe" exits- manhole openings in obscure parts of the city where no one would notice people constantly coming and going led out to the city above.

The entrances to the new sewers were well- hidden. A special sequence had to be tapped into the bricks surrounding the door leading to the Task Force base, although a special emergency button which opened the door closest to the holder of the button immediately was carried at all times, in case of a need for a quick escape.

The base itself was almost luxurious in its layout- every member of the Force had their own room, and there was a dining hall- Halle was an excellent cook- an exercise and practice room for every set of skill the Task Force members needed and possessed, and then, there was the main room, filled with the latest technology- and some that L's contacts had secretly made and given to him, advanced technology that had never been released to the world.

L had made blueprints of the whole set-up, detailing all the entrances and exits from their base to the sewers to the city, for easy planning of their routes and in case complications arose, and a new exit needed to be accessed, fast.

And it was these blueprints that Beyond and L perused, figuring out a plan of action.

"So if we use this entrance to leave," Beyond jabbed a finger at the screen, pointing to a place on the map, "we could follow this route here, and-"

"Enter here," L finished, knowing exactly where his twin was going with this. "This line right here leads straight to Kira's mansion- it goes right around it, in fact. If we could use some heavy explosives, we could-"

"Break right through the layer, and enter the outside of the cell through it, to the side. From there, all we have to do is-"

"Attach the explosives to the cell, break the thief out, exit and seal the entrance, and we'll be-"

"Home-free, with no evidence left behind and no way for Kira to track us!" Beyond finished, his grin mirroring L's. In their excitement, they had turned to face one another, leaning forwards as they had excitedly come up with the plan.

"Yes," L hissed, obsidian eyes alight with excitement, "it will be the perfect attack against Kira, and we'll have a new asset to the team as well. It's perfect!"

By now, the energized plannings of the twins had reached the other's attention, and they all turned to see the two dark-haired men situated closely together, wearing matching expressions of glee.

"It's the perfect crime against Kira!" Beyond said, matching L's own grin that was starting to spread across the pale face, identical to his own. Unable to help it any longer, excitement rushing through his veins as he and L planned together, clicked together, he leaned forwards at the same time his hand shot out to grasp the back of L's head and pulled him in closer, their lips meeting, and L showed no resistance whatsoever as his twin pulled them into a kiss.

"What the fuck!" Gevanni cried as they all viewed this shocking new revelation in regards to the twin's relationship. They had all known the twins were close- identical twins always were, but this…?!

At the outburst, the twins remained pressed together for a single moment more, then pulled back at the same time, simultaneously whipping their faces around to face the shocked members of the Task Force. L's face bore an expression of indifference; on Beyond's, it was obvious that he was annoyed, along with a bit of anger and perhaps-fear?

"Calm down, Gevanni," L said, quietly. "While it may be shocking, be aware that it is not incest, but simply a way for B to show his affection, and I don't mind."

"But-he kissed you on the lips!" Mello exclaimed, eyeing Beyond with a mixture of disgust and jealousy. He knew that as brothers, Beyond would be closer to L than any other, but it didn't mean that the closeness of the two didn't spark a flame of pure jealousy in the blonde.

Beyond rolled his eyes as L, dismissing the whole situation as unimportant, shifted back into his crouch and turned back to his computer screen, digitally mapping out their route and times for the break-out of the thief Wedy. "Kissing on the cheeks and such is not unnatural in Europe, and besides, it is none of your business what I and my twin do. Besides, I'm sure you all know the theories about identical twins…?"

"One soul, split into two halves in separate bodies," Near piped up from his desk, where he had been simultaneously listening in and working. His head lifted, and there was a thoughtfulness in his dark eyes. "It's an interesting theory, I have to say, although I can neither confirm nor deny it, as you and L are the only identical twins I've ever known. But," he continued, "in the way you two interact, and in the closeness of your actions, you do seem to share a close bond…" he trailed off, then shrugged. "Either way, it's none of our business, you are correct, and who are we to judge?"

With that, Near bent his head once more, dismissing the whole conversation in favor of going back to work, but leaving behind a shocked audience, as that was the most the white-haired youth had ever said in a single sitting.

His words, however, caused the rest of the Task Force to disperse back to their respective workstations, although there were a few mutterings and backwards-thrown glances at the red-eyed twin that was staring them down, and the black-eyed one working diligently at his computer with his back to them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Beyond mentally seethed.

Idiots.

Who did they think they were, to judge his and his brother's actions? They knew nothing!

They had never experienced the strong bond he and L shared, nor the feelings that came along with them! They had never felt the absolute terror he felt when L's life was in danger, nor the anger at himself and the others who had placed his beloved twin in that same situation. No one else could possible fathom how joyous it made him when L was happy, or the constant panic and nervousness that was always there, the paranoia that one day, something was going to go horribly wrong and L would die, his other half ripped away from him.

For, in essence, that's what L was.

They had once been one egg in their mother's womb, one complete soul, but when that egg had been split, forming two separate persons, the soul had split as well. They had once been one person, but now they were two halves, incomplete unless they were together. It was evident in the spark that coming in close contact to each other created- not a sexual spark, although having intercourse would be of no objective to them; it would be like having sex with one's self, and would be a way to achieve the ultimate intimacy, the closest they would ever come to connecting the two halves of their shared soul again- but that of their split soul coming together once more.

From their very birth, the twins had known that they were different from other siblings, in the way they thought the same, looked the same, walked the same- the only difference in their personalities and eating habits. They were two halves of the same soul, and it was why they clicked together so well, how they could finish each other's thoughts and be so comfortably close together when even the thought of being so close to another person was revolting.

That other ignorant fools thought that what he and L shared was wrong, was sick, pissed him the fuck off, and Beyond's fists clenched on the knees of his jeans, his breath coming faster and eyes starting to burn with his anger.

Suddenly, a cool touch on top of his hand made him look to the right, where L was staring at him with his fathomless black eyes. "Calm down, B," L said calmly, then removed his hand and went back to work.

And just like that, Beyond let out the breath he had been holding and unclenched his fists, feeling himself already calm down. It was what L, his other half wanted, and who was he to refuse? There were other times for his anger to show through, times when both all he and L wanted was to beat the absolute shit out of each other, revel in the closeness the constant, energy-fueled touches brought, but that was a private thing and now was not the right time for that.

No, he needed to keep his cool, and so cool and collected was what he would be. Even if the idiocy of those surrounding them still pissed him way the fuck off, in the back of his mind. Letting out a sigh, Beyond released his anger in a single breath and turned back to the computer screen.

"Thanks," Beyond muttered, reaching out to swipe an affectionate hand through L's spiky hair, identical to his own.

L shrugged. "It was what you needed at the moment, I felt."

Nodding in understanding, Beyond turned back to L's screen, where the plans for their break-out were slowly coming into place. Scanning red eyes over the plans, Beyond suddenly spoke up. "We should take this other route," he said, jabbing a finger at a spot on the map.

L backtracked, nodding in comprehension. "Ah, I see. You're right. It would save more time this way," L said, rapidly typing away, fixing the plans.

And Beyond grinned, feeling that everything was back to normal now.

* * *

L did not go totally without sleep, nor did he only go with one or two hours of sleep per week; that was inhumanly possible, as even insomniacs needed sleep and going with that little sleep would cause the brain to shut down and die.

However, he did get less sleep than most people, as he had trained his body to do without it during the first few weeks after Kira had taken control. It had been a tumultuous, dangerous point in time, when Kira supporters were hot on L's trail and sleeping was dangerous, in case L needed to move base quickly before he was discovered. It was a time when it was just him, Beyond, and Watari in Japan, and they had no safe place to go, since Kira support was concentrated in the killer's home country and one either supported Kira or simply…disappeared.

It was not a good time.

And with only three people in a group, at least one of them needed to be awake at a time, but they all still needed enough sleep to not turn sluggish. Eventually, they had gotten used to getting less sleep all around, but after they had established their impenetrable base here, where there was no need to keep watch constantly, Beyond had went back to his usual sleeping patterns, although the circles under his eyes that matched L's had never went away. Watari got more sleep than when they were on the run, although he was still awake later than others, but L never went back to his completely normal sleeping patterns, the paranoia of the time spent on the run and his body's adaptions during that time never leaving him all the way. He was an extremely light sleeper and suffered from recurring nightmares, often finding it hard to go to back to sleep after awaking from one.

Though logically, L knew it would be much worse if he slept away from Beyond. It was only the warmth of his twin's arms and reassuring presence that kept him from being completely terrified at night, and it was the soothing whispers and soft breathing of Beyond's that helped him actually fall asleep.

However, he still needed less sleep than his twin, and so it was not uncommon for him to slip away from his brother and wander out to Watari's room, where the older man would sometimes be awake. Or if not, he would grab a comforting cup of coffee and something sweet, along with a good book and pad back into his and Beyond's bedroom, where he would read until he felt sleepy again and slipped back into Beyond's warm arms to fall back into unconsciousness.

And Beyond, for the most part, had gotten used enough to L's nocturnal habits to be able to sleep though L's movements. However, even unconscious, his sense of danger was able to discern L from other people; he was able to remain unconscious even as L moved about the room, and in and out of his embrace. But the last time someone had accidentally wandered into their room- a confused, tired, Matsuda- Beyond had been awake and alert as soon as he stepped into the room, and the knife that both overly paranoid men had agreed to keep under their pillow had been quivering in the wall, right next to Matsuda's head a split second after the bumbling man had stepped foot inside the room.

It made one wary of being around the twin's room at night; Beyond could be a scary motherfucker when it came to L's safety.

But L's nocturnal wanderings were nothing new to Beyond's unconsciousness, so he didn't even stir as the black-eyed man slipped from their bed.

But, it was not simply a case of not being able to sleep that had L up tonight- it was something else that had been bothering him since earlier that day. Quietly slipping his jeans on, then his shirt, he exited the bedroom, going through their connecting living room and into the halls of their base, making his way purposefully to Watari's room, where he proceeded to knock firmly enough to let the man know he was there if he was awake, but not hard enough to disturb the elderly man if he was indeed, resting.

But Watari was awake, and used to L coming to his room at random nights, opened the door and let L in. "Good evening, L," he welcomed the younger man, and immediately went to get a cup of coffee for the both of them.

L went to his usual armchair in Watari's living room, crouching on it, thinking as he waited, which was not long as Watari soon returned with the steaming hot cups of coffee.

Watari watched with observant eyes as L slowly dropped sugar cubes into his coffee- something was troubling the youth tonight, and he knew that there was a purpose for him coming tonight, other than the fact that he simply couldn't sleep. He knew not to push the young man, though, and simply sat watching, sipping on his own unflavored coffee and waited for L to speak.

Which he eventually did, albeit hesitantly. "Watari…"

"Yes?"

L slowed in his sugaring of the coffee, picking up a spoon to stir the concoction up almost ponderingly. "You know of the plan to break the thief out, yes?" at Watari's silent nod, L continued. "Something has been troubling me about it. Kira has captured much more dangerous criminals before, yet this is the first time he's held a criminal at his own mansion, even erecting a special cell to hold the thief in. It is troubling to me, especially at how easy it was to hack Kira's network and copy the blueprints of his mansion."

L was silent then, the only sound in the room the clinking of L's spoon as he continued stirring his coffee. Eventually, he spoke up again. "I know that I'm already known for being overly paranoid, but…I cannot help but have a bad feeling about this break-out." Pausing to sip at his coffee, L set it back down and stared at it for a moment. "I don't get these feelings often, but when I do, they always seem to steer me in the right direction…. I feel as if something is going to go horribly wrong with this plan, Watari, and that's why I came to you tonight."

There, there was what Watari had been waiting for. Sometimes it took L a bit to get to his point, but one he did, the former detective was then fully focused on the matter at hand. Setting his own cup of untouched, cooling coffee aside, Watari leaned forwards, giving his full attention to the tense man in front of him. "I believe you, L- your feelings have never led us astray, so I have no reason to doubt you. However, I know that you would not come to me clueless, without any sort of plan in mind, so tell me what you are thinking…"

L nodded shortly and leaned forwards, taking out a piece of paper- the map of the routes they were going to take on the day of the break-out, Watari saw- and spread them on the table in front of them, pushing the coffee cups to the side. With one long, spidery finger, L reached out and tapped an area on the map. "I want a back-up; a failsafe in case something happens, which there is a good chance of, right here. I want you to tell no one about it, and arrange it in secret. And this is what I want done…"

And Watari sat and listened as the youth in front of him detailed what he wanted done, disapproving of it silently, but unable to voice his objections. And so, when L was done speaking, he reluctantly agreed to do what L wanted, already making plans for the thing that he felt sure was going to cause nothing but grief for the young man in front of him.


	5. Failure

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Black-clad figures slid silently along the dark tunnels, hand-held flashlights the only source of light within the tunnel. They continued on for a while, until an unmarked point was reached and the lead stopped, the second person right behind him taking this as the signal and holding up his hand in the air in a fist to signal the stop.

The lead turned and said, while the rest of the group came continued to gather around him, "This is the pick-up point. B, Gevanni, grab the bags and let's go. Be careful- I had Watari arm them to save time, so if you drop them, things are going to go to hell."

Beyond, who turned out to be the second person, nodded, along with another one of the figures-Gevanni. Another one of their group sidled over to the wall to pull a string cleverly hidden between two bricks and a slot opened, the bricks shifting to reveal a hole situated in the wall.

Beyond reached up to grab a bag, and then stepped aside to let Gevanni grab the other one. Once both bags were in the group's possession, Beyond flashed their lead a thumbs up. "We're set, L," he said, and L nodded, before turning around and waving them ahead.

They started up again, the only sound the occasional radioing-in to Watari and Matt to ascertain their position. L had memorized the routes and tunnels long ago, but the complete darkness of the old sewers could screw up even his innate sense of direction.

Fortunately, there were no mishaps thanks to Matt's careful guiding, and it wasn't long before L halted them again, head cocked as he listened to Matt's voice issuing from his earpiece.

L nodded once, and then turned to the rest of the group. "Gevanni, B, the explosives go here," L directed, tapping a place on the wall, "and here," he said, tapping another spot. "Mello, Near, Matsuda, step back."

Beyond and Gevanni stepped forwards to place the explosives, the other three stepping back. L radioed in once more as the two set the trackers on the explosives. "Matt? Are they in position?"

_+Hold on, L. Their signals haven't reached me yet. Damned slow technology… hey, do you know if the Russians have come out with that update yet?+_

L rolled his eyes, shrugging to Beyond and Gevanni.

"I don't know, Matt. They still haven't gotten to me."

_+They're as slow as their technology, the bastards. If only Kira hadn't popped up in Japan, the technology epicenter of the world. Security's so tight here, we can't get anything from our Japanese contacts without Kira knowing about it…+_ Matt ranted, then stopped and sighed. _+Well, what do you know. Signal finally got here. Let's see, move Explosive A three inches to the right side, and Explosive B four inches up. You should be good then.+_

L relayed Matt's instructions to Gevanni and Beyond, and after the explosives had been moved, Matt radioed in once more. _+Yeah, now you're good. Alright, I'm gonna shut off communications- I don't know if Kira can find our signal again, but I don't want to take the chances. However, I can still watch you guys thanks to the tracking systems in your belts, so I'll be keeping an eye out. I'll contact you before you're out if shit looks like it's gonna hit the fan, though, so don't worry. Otherwise, I'll re-establish communications once you're at the safe point. Good luck, L, and the rest of the team.+_

"Thank you, Matt," L said, and then shut off his earpiece, but kept it in his ear in case Matt needed to contact him. "Alright, Matt says that we're good for detonation. He wishes us good luck as well. Mello, what's the time?"

"Three minutes until the guard changes; we need to set the explosives for fifteen seconds after that to allow the guards to get out of earshot, and after that, we have exactly five minutes and thirteen seconds to get Wedy out of there before the new guard comes," Mello responded.

"Good." L turned to the explosives and set the timers for the needed time. "Three minutes and thirteen seconds until detonation. Take cover, everyone, and get ready to move once they go off."

The six men traveled a safe distance away, waiting for the clock to tick down, and Beyond sidled up to l, who was watching the timers.

"Hey, L. You seemed disturbed last night- you went to visit Watari, and spent a longer time than usual there. Are you alright?" Beyond asked, taking off his night-vision goggles momentarily to peruse L. "I've been getting weird feelings from you ever since we hacked Kira. I can tell when something is wrong," Beyond pressed when he saw L shake his head dismissively.

"It's nothing, B. I had a simple misgiving about this scheme, but Watari cleared it up."

Beyond's eyes narrowed, knowing something was up. If it was as simple as that, his twin would have come to him- L relied on him for things like that. He was L's safety net, and that his twin was keeping things hidden was a sure sign something was going on. "Bullshit, L. If there was a problem, you would have come to me about it. What gives, L? Tell me!"

L turned on his brother, whipping his own night vision goggles off to level a glare at Beyond. "It's nothing, I said. Stop prodding."

Beyond opened his mouth to retort, but just then, the timer on the explosives went off, five beeps that gave the twins enough time to pull their goggles on and duck down before the wall exploded with a giant "BOOM!"

Eventually, the dust settled, and the team jumped into action, Beyond and Gevanni grabbing their bags once more, L barking out orders. "Mello, Matsuda, clear the debris out of the way and set up the decoy wall. Gevanni, you too- we don't need two people for the cell bars, and the explosives we're using are Beyond's area of expertise. Near, you come with us and provide cover- watch the door when we get in there," L ordered.

He checked to make sure his gun was loaded, and was about to jump through the still-smoking hole in the wall when Beyond suddenly grabbed his arm, halting him. "You will tell me about this later," Beyond hissed.

L hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Fine. Let's just get this done."

Taking what he could get, Beyond nodded and withdrew, allowing L to jump through the hole, then he did as well, Near silently following them.

* * *

Once the three team members were inside the cell, they immediately ripped off their night-vision goggles and got to work.

Near went to the door, locking it from the inside once he saw they were able to. "I've locked the door- that should buy us an extra minute or so," he said to L and Beyond, who were busily unzipping Beyond's bag of explosives.

"Good, Near. Keep watch and tell us if anyone is coming," L said from his kneeling place next to Beyond. He helped Beyond get the explosive from the bag, and then looked up. "Do you have this under control, B?" He asked.

Beyond nodded, already pouring the glittery powder that made up the explosive into a safe container. "Yeah. All I have to do is wire and rig it, then we bust those bars open," Beyond replied, jerking his chin at the cell, where the curious thief was standing up and coming closer to the bars. L got up, seeing as Beyond was handling it, and went over to the cell.

"Who are you?" Wedy questioned.

L gestured at Beyond and Near. "That's B, my brother, and Near, an associate. I am L." The last sentence was all he needed to say to introduce himself, and L saw the woman's blue eyes get large before her face broke out into a smile and she laughed.

"Well, I'll be damned. The infamous L, come to break me out himself. Well, you're a damned sight better than that blasted executioner Kira, that's for sure. I assume you're doing this so that I'll work for you?"

L shrugged. "That would be preferable, yes, but you are by no means obligated to. We simply thought that you would be an invaluable addition to the rest of the team, and even if you chose to go your own way, your skills as a thief are too rare and exemplary to let you simply be captured and killed. However," L continued, "if you do choose to come with us, you would be granted safe lodgings and a chance to steal from Kira whenever the occasion arises."

Wedy listened intently to L, and when he got done speaking, the good-natured thief laughed once more. "Well, L, you make a damned fine argument. Very persuasive, I have to say. Yeah, I'll join you," she agreed. Wedy then stuck her arm through the bars, flipping her long, wavy blonde hair back. "The chance to get back at that bastard Kira is too great to pass up. Consider me part of your team."

"Perfect." L reached out to grasp her hand and delicately shook it. "Welcome aboard, Wedy."

"Yeah, yeah," Beyond interrupted, coming up behind them. "That's great and all, but I suggest you two move back unless you want your deal to be sealed with a bang." He started attaching the small box of explosive to the bars using clay, and then attached the wires to the detonation device he held in his hand. "This isn't gonna be a big explosion, but it's going to get hot enough to melt and break the bars apart, which, seeing what these bars are made of, is pretty hot."

L rolled his eyes, but obediently stepped back, Wedy doing the same thing. Beyond finished attaching the wires, then stepped back as well. "You might want to fish out the metal-pullers," Beyond told L. "The metal's only gonna be hot enough to bend for a short period of time, and after they cool, that's it. There's nothing more I can do."

Nodding, L bent and grabbed the metal-pullers, which were basically large pliers, and stood back. "Alright, B."

"Okay. Explosion in three…two…-god I love this part- one. Boom!" he cackled, pressing the blinking red button.

Immediately, there was a bright flash of light and a searing flare of heat, which forced the four in the room to turn their heads away. A second later, though, it cooled, and they turned to see the box gone, and a small hole in the metal bars of the cell, small droplets of super-heated metal apparent on the bars that were left.

Jumping into action, L grabbed a metal bar with his pliers and pulled, Beyond grabbing his own set and following L's lead. Using all their strength, they pulled on the bars, bending them with much effort outwards, making the hole bigger.

It wasn't long before the metal stopped giving way at all, and sweating inside their suits, L and Beyond stepped away, discarding the pliers. They were hot from the metal, and there wasn't enough time to let them cool before it was safe to replace them in the bag. They could be replaced, and so it wasn't counted as much of a loss.

Beyond was packing up as L went to the hole in the cell bars and addressed Wedy. "That's as big as the hole is going to get, I'm afraid. Be careful not to touch the metal- it's still hot and will sear the skin."

"Got it," Wedy said, and then approached the bars, placing one foot carefully through and to the other side before she quickly tucked her long hair into the back of her orange jumpsuit, and then bent backwards. "A thief's gotta be flexible," she explained, before putting her other foot through, and then guiding the rest of her torso through. Halfway out, she reached out her hand and L grasped it, carefully pulling her the rest of the way out.

Wedy was just pulling herself up straight, and L was just checking his watch and announcing that they had exactly two minutes for clean-up and extraction, when Near gasped from the door.

"We have to leave, now!" Near said, running back to them. "Kira's guards are coming- they must have heard us or something-!"

"Shit," Beyond hissed, and frantically zipped up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. L grabbed Wedy's arm and pulled her along, but she stumbled, wasting precious seconds as she righted herself.

"Come on," L urged, pulling her up and directing her towards the hole in the wall-

But it was too late.

The door was kicked open, the lock not holding under the pressure, and guards flooded into the room, led by none other than one Teru Mikami.

Kira's Second in Command chuckled as he stepped into the room, watching as the three Task Force members' arms were grabbed, along with Wedy's, effectively restraining them. "Well. This is quite the delightful change of events. It's too bad you didn't see the hidden alarm that you tripped while breaking this thief here out, isn't it? If I remember, it was detailed quite clearly in the _original_ blueprints of this cell," Mikami smirked.

The four were frozen, and L rapidly raced through his plan, trying to think of what had gone wrong. And then he realized, as soon as Mikami said it.

"The blueprints," L hissed, cursing silently because he didn't have his voice scrambler on, didn't think he'd be needing it. He was glad, however, that he had left his mask on. Thank God for small favors. "The blueprints were tampered with."

Meanwhile, unseen to anyone, Beyond and Near carefully shifted to reach for the small pistols they had concealed within their suits, done so carefully they didn't alert the guards holding onto their arms. It had been a small safety precaution, a sort of last resort, as the Task Force tried to refrain from killing. But, with this new complication in the plan, it seemed as though the guns would be necessary.

"Of course the blueprints were tampered with," Mikami replied, reaching into his pocket to bring out a pair of handcuffs. "After all those years of slinking in the shadows, L, it seems as though your time is up. Time to come into the light, L, and face justice."

"Justice?" L replied, shaking his head.

Despair flashed through L, and he suddenly remembered the small device that had been hidden in his suit. He had had it made for this purpose, in case his sense of foreboding had been true, and it had. They had been caught today, and L had a sudden sinking feeling that today would be the end.

They had finally been outsmarted- all these years of planned schemes, daring gambles- they had all culminated in this last scheme, this one last scheme that was going horribly, horribly wrong.

But if today would be the last…

Might as well go out fighting.

"**I** am Justice," L said proudly. "I was the one who kept the world safe before Kira took over and bloodied his hands with his vigilantism. I was the one who caught criminals, solved crimes, and protected the innocent before Kira was even Kira, when Light Yagami was nothing more than a weak, powerless schoolboy. I am L, the World's Greatest Detective, not just some faceless rebel. And L refuses to give up until the old world is restored to its rightful place and Kira is brought down."

Mikami listened to L- now revealed as the same L who had once been the World's Greatest Detective- with a building sense of rage and mild surprise. He had always thought that this rebel L had been just a random rebel who had taken on the alias of L because he lacked originality.

He had never known that the same L that sent Kira taunting videos and committed the worst sort of acts against his God was the same L that had risen to fame as one of the best, brilliant detectives to ever be seen.

"So you're actually the detective," Mikami smirked, handing the cuffs to one of the guards, who then approached the black-clad figure of L, his two accomplices, and the thief, "I've always wondered what the face behind the L looked like- it will be double the pleasure to unmask you, then."

L shook his head. "I think not, Teru Mikami. I don't have any plans to be caught today."

Just then, Mikami's guard was about o cuff him, L broke free of the two men holding onto his arms, ducked and kicked one of them in the chest, propelling him across the room in the blink of an eye, and hell broke loose.

Near elbowed one of his guards in the solar plexus, his short stature putting him in optimum position to do so, and then bent his knee to kick the other in the groin, causing the larger man to double over in pain. Another guard attempted to grab him, but he whirled, and pulling out his pistol, shot him in the arm, making the man stumble back clutching his arm.

The pistol shot seemed to have stunned the other guards momentarily, not expecting the act from the short- statured boy. But the momentary pause was all Near and the rest of the team needed.

He grabbed Wedy's arm, the woman already having dropped her restraining guards by knocking foreheads with one, and with her freed arm, whirling around and delivering a skillful nerve pinch. They pushed past the few guards that were at their back, and Near pulled her to the hole in the wall and pushed her through. With the decoy hologram wall in place, it made it seem as if she had phased through the wall.

Beyond simply jerked his elbows free, being quite stronger than his lanky form let on, and punched one of the guards in the face, and the other in the gut. He reached out and grabbed L's hand, yanking him to the hole in the wall and pushing both his brother and Near through.

He was about to jump through as well, before letting out a curse as his leg was grabbed, dropping him to the ground. Looking back, he saw that Mikami was approaching him, radioing in for back-up, and then down, seeing a guard that had been dropped holding onto his leg, pulling himself off the ground.

"Not today, fucker," Beyond hissed and kicked the man in the face. Then got to his feet and dove through the wall right as more guards burst into the room.

* * *

On the other side, the rest of the Task Force was already withdrawing, racing over the debris and disappearing into the tunnels, heading towards the designated safe entrances. L was still there, though, with Matsuda.

"What the fuck are you two doing here?" Beyond cursed, getting to his feet. "There's a whole shitload of guards about to flood the area!"

"I know, B," L replied calmly. "Matsuda will be coming with us- they'll be looking for two people, one with a bag, as they'll assume we are leaving together. If we travel as three, we'll be less of a suspicion. Gevanni and Mello are to serve as the decoys, as Gevanni has a bag and they'll be a pair. Near is with Wedy, not that they care about her. Give your bag to Matsuda- he'll be the decoy in case anything goes wrong and we need to split."

L's eyes narrowed. "You are the most valuable one here, B. If Kira gets ahold of you, it's all over. He'll force you to tell him our names, and he'll hunt us down. Matsuda and I are of little importance compared to you."

Beyond snarled, and flung his bag at Matsuda, who caught it and slung it on wordlessly.

The man was an idiot, but when it came to situations like this, he at least was damned good at following orders skillfully and without question.

Then, he grabbed L's arm and pushed him forwards, propelling him over the ground. "When we get back to base, L," he growled, "you and I are gonna sit down and have a long talk about priorities and the such, you hear?"

* * *

Seeing the four criminals disappear through the wall had been disturbing, but Mikami steeled himself and stepped through as well, his guards following one he had passed back through and waved them ahead.

On the other side, in the tunnels of the sewers, Mikami was amazed to see that the wall was simply a hologram projection- on the cell side, it looked like a complete, unbroken wall, but on the tunnel side, there was a hole blasted in the wall with blackened edges, debris strewed everywhere.

Obviously, L had access to extremely advanced technology, far more advanced than anything the rest of the world had ever seen. It impressed him as much as it infuriated him.

"Sir, the fleeing criminals are in sight- they've split into two groups. I suggest that we apprehend the two criminals fleeing on the right, the pair that has the bag in their possession. L was traveling with the man who carried a bag."

Looking up, Mikami saw three groups racing down the tunnel- one was obviously the short man and the female thief, one was the pair that the guard had pointed out, and the other was a trio, one of them holding a bag.

Mikami's eyes narrowed. "No. We follow those three."

"But sir-"

"Think about it," Mikami interrupted. "L is smart, and would attempt to trick us. L and the man holding the bag were of equal height and size. The two men you pointed out have a bag, yes, but there is an obvious height difference in their figures. They are obviously a decoy. The trio has two unburdened men that are of the same height, and the man carrying the bag is taller and wider than both of them- he's obviously a decoy as well. We follow them," Mikami ordered. "Permission to shoot, but not to kill. Maim them or slow them down, but don't go for a kill shot. Move out!"

* * *

L was only half surprised when the sound of footsteps echoing behind them appeared. The decoy he hadn't been sure would work, as Mikami was very intelligent and was likely to have noticed certain things pertaining to him and Beyond.

Bu the gunshots that flew around them, yes, now that was a definite surprise. Mikami was apparently becoming deadly serious about catching them.

They hit the ground around them- obviously, Mikami's aim was to capture, not kill.

Beyond, running beside him, laughed maniacally. "I haven't had this much fun in ages," he cackled, and L shook his head.

"If this is your idea of fun, B-ungh!" L started, but then cried out as a sudden burning pain in his thigh caused him to cry out and fall to his knees.

Beyond, alerted by his twin's cry and the sudden flare of pain in his own thigh stopped, Matsuda following his lead, and Beyond dropped to his brother's side. "L!"

Gritting his teeth, L grasped his thigh, poking at it for a second. The pain was concentrated to the middle, about halfway up. "It's my thigh," L grit out. "They got a hit, but I don't think the bullet hit the femoral artery- if it had, it would be to the inside more. I think it lodged in the bone, though- I didn't feel it come out the other side."

"Bastards!" Beyond yelled, looking behind them. He could feel how much it hurt L- the pain he was feeling was more of a phantom pain than an actual substantial feeling, but it was still annoying, nonetheless. Then, he turned back to L. "I'm not going to ask you if you can walk, because you won't be able to stand, much less walk or run." He turned to Matsuda. "Give me the bag, you carry L. Your arms are stronger than mine, and we'll be slowed down less."

Matsuda nodded and handed Beyond the bag, then gently picked up L, making him bite his lip to prevent crying out as his thigh was jostled. "I don't suppose it could be like in the movies, where I tell you to leave me behind and save yourselves?" L gasped out.

Beyond snorted. "Not a snowball's chance in hell, L." he slung the bag over his shoulders, and then, leveling a cold glare at the guards that were just coming into sight behind them, said, "Start running. I'm right behind you." He reached back and pulled out a spherical object from his bag.

"B, this had better not be a repeat of the museum," L warned, before his twin flashed him a grin and held up the grenade for L to see.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Now, Matsuda, I suggest you run."

Luckily, Matsuda brooked no argument, wheeling around on his heel, sprinting down the sewer tunnel.

Beyond waited a second, and then laughed. "An eye for an eye, Mikami!" he shouted, making use of one of L's favorite sayings, before pulling the pin and tossing it, then turning and sprinting like hell after Matsuda.

He laughed when he heard screams of pain as the grenade exploded, his red eyes gleaming with excitement. Pain for pain- they hurt his twin, his beloved brother, and so he hurt them back.

L didn't question Beyond as he caught up to them, didn't say anything other than directing Matsuda through the tunnels.

* * *

Eventually, they dropped through a manhole, entering the old sewer systems, and landed in a large, circular room made totally of old, grey bricks.

Water pooled on the floor, and the two men splashed though it as they made their way away from the manhole.

"Matsuda, set me down," L ordered. When the man looked like he was about to protest, L cut him off. "No, don't argue. Carrying me, as little as I weigh, still is a drain on you, and we can afford a break to prevent you from dropping from exhaustion. The use of this manhole and B's grenade will delay them long enough to take a minute or two, and I need to check my thigh."

Nodding, not really wanting to argue, Matsuda gently lowered L to the ground, then sat down as well, panting.

Beyond set his bag down and made his way to L's side. "Let me take a look," he said, and L nodded.

Gently, more gently than Matsuda had ever seen Beyond act, he cut away a square of cloth around the bullet wound and tossed the dripping rag away onto the water-soaked ground. Red tendrils seeped out of the black material as it sank to the floor.

The bullet wound on L's thigh didn't look good; the bullet had lodged in the bone, as L had suspected, and blood leaked continuously from the wound. Gently, Beyond touched the wound, and L sucked in a breath and winced, the touch aggravating the screaming nerves around the hole.

"Damn, Lawli," Beyond said half-sadly, half-angrily, using his twin's seldom-uttered nickname, a spin-off of his true name, reserved only for extreme situations. "That looks bad."

"Just be glad it didn't hit the artery. I'd be much worse if that had happened," L said.

Beyond looked up, meeting his brother's eyes. "We'd be worse off, Lawli. We."

L sighed. "You're right, Beyond," L said, using his brother's full name in response to his use of L's nickname. "I suppose… I place too little importance on myself. But, you must understand, even if I, as L, die, there will always be another L to take my place. But your Eyes, Beyond, if Kira gets them, then this whole thing is over."

"I know," Beyond murmured, and nothing more was said as he pulled out a gauze roll from his bag and wrapped L's thigh tightly with it, apologizing as he did so. But they had to stop the bleeding somehow, until they got back to base and their doctor could take a look at it.

Beyond tied up the ends of the gauze, and using his knife, cut it off, and replaced the gauze back into his bag. He slung it over his shoulder, and then reached out a hand to help L up.

Grasping Beyond's hand, he shakily got to his feet, biting back a gasp as the movement sent ripples of hot pain through his leg. "Ugh, that hurts," L muttered, scowling. "At this rate, I won't be able to go anywhere outside of base for the next few months," he said dejectedly.

Beyond chuckled, helping L hobble around in a couple of circles to make sure that the gauze would stay, and that it was secured tightly. "You won't be alone. I'll stay with you. After all, half the fun from these little adventures comes from doing them with you."

L and Beyond shared a laugh, and Beyond fondly regarded his brother, and then, out of force of habit, trailed his eyes up to the area above his brother's head, where his name floated serenely, highlighted in red, and beneath that, a jumble of numbers in a code only Beyond and Shinigami knew how to read, detailing L's lifespan.

The two things were something Beyond could see on every living person, and he found fascination in watching other's lifespans tick down- everyone but L's. L's lifespan he hated watching, although he monitored it almost to the point of paranoia, constantly watching and making sure it was ticking down normally. He still hated doing so, though, because he knew that with every second of life taken off of L's lifespan, it only brought him closer to his death, and one of Beyond's secret fears was that L was going to die before him, a fear brought on by not being able to see his own lifespan and a fear of being left behind, alone, if L died before him.

Normally, though, L's lifespan counted down steadily, no faster or slower than any other person's but this time, as he saw L's lifespan, Beyond felt his heart momentarily stop.

L's lifespan was spinning down, seconds flying by much faster than they should have, taking minutes and days and weeks and months and years off of L's lifespan, and God, no it couldn't happen…

L stopped, forced to halt as Beyond did as well, and looked over to his brother, getting a feeling of dread from his twin, taken aback as he saw the horror-stricken look on Beyond's face as his now-glowing red eyes focused on a spot directly above L's head. Beyond's eyes didn't glow like that unless he was using the Shinigami Eyes, and L knew that something must be happening to his lifespan if Beyond was looking at it like that.

"Beyond? What's wrong?"

"Your lifespan," Beyond whispered after a moment, horrified. "No…"

"Ah, it must be going down," L nodded. "It's probably because of the wound in my leg. It must be worse than we thought. If my lifespan is going down, it's probably because I'm going to die if I don't get it treated. Relax, Beyond."

"Relax?" Beyond asked incredulously, finally tearing his eyes away from L's lifespan and looking into his brother's obsidian eyes, his own red eyes losing their glow as they reverted back to normal, "How can I be calm when your lifespan says that you're all but going to die? Don't you know how gorrifying to is to see something like that?"

"Ugh, guys? Not to break this sentimental brotherly moment up or anything, but I think we've lingered here long enough," Matsuda said, glancing around nervously. "It's a ways back to base from here, and I don't think I could run all that way with L."

"But you will," Beyond snarled, hurriedly helping L hobble over to Matsuda, intent on getting him back to base and taken care of before his lifespan started shooting down any further, "or I shoot you in the leg and leave you here while I carry L back."

Matsuda chuckled nervously, standing to his feet. "Uh, yeah, of course. I was just saying…"

Matsuda trailed off as footsteps were heard in the tunnels above, and the three froze as they heard barked commands.

"Son of a bitch," Beyond breathed, before hoisting L up, and handing him to Matsuda. "I didn't think they'd find us so quickly. Hurry, Matsu-"

"Freeze!" Mikami and what was left of his guards after the grenade thrown by Beyond dropped through the manhole, onto the opposite side of the room, about 25 yards away. "There's nowhere for you to run. Surrender!"

"And be killed by Kira?" L called back. "Not a chance." Quickly, he looked back, towards the two tunnels side by side that led out of the circular room. He had ordered Watari to set up his failsafe five yards down the right tunnel. Quickly, he ran through his back- up plan, and then closed his eyes, steeling himself for what he knew he would have to do.

There was no way that all three of them would be able to escape lugging him as dead weight.

Something had to give.

"Then we have permission to open fire." Mikami raised his hand, and waved it, signaling his men to shoot.

They did so immediately, and Matsuda quickly hoisted L up and they ran for the tunnels.

"Go right, Matsuda!" L yelled above the gunfire, as he reached up to fiddle with his earpiece, turning it on.

Watari's voice, familiar and worried, flooded into his ears. _+L! What's going on?! The rest of the team have made it back, and- is that gunfire? What's happening?+_

"No time to explain," L hurriedly said, sizing up the distance before they would reach the failsafe activation site. "I need you to arm the failsafe so that I may activate it when the time comes."

_+L! You can't possibly-!+_

"I can and I will," L said in a hardened tone. "I'm pulling rank, Watari. Arm it. That's an order."

_+One of your last, you mean. But I will do it, sir. Good luck.+_

"Thank you, Watari. I am sorry, but- Beyond!" L cried, seeing his brother stumble and cough suddenly, feeling a sharp pain flash through his stomach. Dread flashed through him as he felt it, knowing what it meant.

One of Beyond's hands went down to grasp his stomach, and as it pulled away, it was smeared in red.

"Shit," Beyond gasped. "They got me."

"Matsuda! Put me down!" L barked, and the man did so, L immediately hobbling over to Beyond's side, ignoring the searing pain throbbing in his leg. Faintly, he heard a little beep come from inside of his suit.

The failsafe button. Quickly, L analyzed the situation, and grimly smiled. Things were working out, but in a way so horrible, he'd rather they had not. But events had led to this, and he would do his best to pull through, no matter what would happen.

Calm flooded over him as he finally did what he had been dreading for so long, putting his plan into action. "Beyond," L said, his oddly calm tone and use of his full name catching Beyond's attention, making him frown through the pain. L was acting oddly.

"You've been shot in the stomach, Beyond. You won't be able to run without the risk of tearing something and bleeding out internally, and the pain will prevent you from moving, however strong and stubborn I know you are. Matsuda cannot carry both of us." L sighed, before reaching out to run a hand through Beyond's hair. "You know what that means, don't you?"

Beyond's red eyes widened as he realized what L was saying, then narrowed as he gripped the front of L's suit and pulled his brother closer. "No," Beyond growled. "You will not be left behind. You will go with Matsuda, and you will leave me here."

"To what? Kill yourself? They're almost here, you know. They'll stop you before you have a chance to commit suicide, and they'll take you to Kira. And our dreams of regaining the old world will never be realized. You'll go with Matsuda," L calmly stated, pulling out his own pistol, "or I shoot myself now, so that you won't have a choice," L threatened, putting the gun to his head. "Your choice."

"No," Beyond said firmly. "You won't do it. I'm calling your bluff."

"True," L sighed, before replacing his gun and pulling out the little black box with a blinking red button on it. "So you leave me no choice." He could hear Mikami and his dogs getting closer, and knew there wasn't much time. He had preferred not to do it this way, but there was little other option.

He turned to Matsuda. "Matsuda, as your commanding superior, I'm ordering you," he said, ignoring Beyond's sudden cries of protest and cursing as he struggled to get up, "to take Beyond and return to base without me. This will be my final order, and after you complete it, Beyond will be the one issuing orders from then on. After you return to base, Beyond will be the new L."

Matsuda wavered, looking between the two twins. "But, L…"

"You will do this, Matsuda, or I will shoot you, and all the blame for the resulting downfall of the Kira Task Force will be on your head. Your choice."

Matsuda slightly teared up, before shaking his head. "Damn you, L," he whispered, before moving to pick Beyond up, never looking at L. "This is selfish, you know that?"

L nodded. "I do. Now go. Goodbye, Matsuda. And Beyond… I'm sorry. Goodbye, and I love you." L said, ever calm.

"No, you bastard, don't do this!" Beyond yelled, struggling within Matsuda's grip. "Fuck you, L, you bastard!"

Smiling sadly, L watched them go, Matsuda running down the tunnel with a still-cursing Beyond struggling in his arms.

Sighing, he shifted until he was no longer kneeling, but sitting with his legs stretched out, back against the wall. He let out a breath as the new position removed the strain on his leg, and the pain faded to a consistent throbbing. Idly, he tightened the straps on the bindings around the gunshot wound, listening as Mikami and his men get closer, and then picked up the failsafe button once more.

He watched it blink steadily, on and off, broadcasting its armed state.

The sound of boots hitting the floor grew louder, and when he looked up, Mikami was running towards him, guards faithfully at his heels.

* * *

The man came to a halt upon seeing L. Mikami's eyes ran up and down his figure, and he stepped forwards upon seeing the bandage wrapped around his leg.

"Sir," his second in command said, "do we pursue the other two?"

Absently, Mikami shook his head. "Wait." He approached the man resting on the wall, who kept his head lowered and hand clutched around something he couldn't see. "Where are the other two?"

The man chuckled. "Long gone."

"L and the decoy?" Mikami questioned.

"Perhaps."

"Does that way lead to your base?"

"The Kira Task Force base? Maybe."

"That's as good as a yes. Men, head down the tunnel and pursue the two escapees."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that," the sitting man said suddenly, and Mikami looked down almost haughtily at him.

"And why not?"

"Because of this." The man held up the object that he had been clutching, and Mikami cursed when he saw it was a little black box with a red blinking button.

"Shit!" He only just had time to dive down before the button was pressed, and about ten feet away, an explosion erupted, multiple cases of dynamite going off for about 20 feet down the tunnel. Large chunks of rock and other debris fell to the ground, the explosives having been placed in suck a way that the whole tunnel was blocked off by chunks of wall and the arches that made up the old sewer tunnels.

When the dust settled, and Mikami was able to stand once more, he looked at the sitting figure, unharmed and alive, only now covered in whitish dust from exploded brick and mortar.

Irritation surged thought him. He was getting really tired of all these explosions!

But now that he thought about it, this had to be that crazy idiot Crimson, from before, the one with the Eyes. There's no way L would detonate an explosive in this close range.

"Judging from listening in on past conversations and your obvious love of explosives, I assume you're the one with the Eyes. That makes sense- obviously, they wouldn't want to leave L behind," Mikami deduced, stepping closer. "No matter. Now that we are in possession of the one who has the Shinigami Eyes, the Task Force can and will be brought down. Kira will be most pleased."

The man suddenly laughed, almost hysterical and full of dark mirth. "You see, Teru Mikami," the man said, "that's where you went wrong. Someone as intelligent as you should have been able to figure it out. You're making me think my respect for your intelligence was misplaced."

Mikami froze as he heard the familiar words, the voice suddenly recognizable- he had heard it before, in the museum!. No, they wouldn't really leave him behind, would they? It couldn't be!

The man raised his head, and obsidian eyes locked onto his, gleaming with some kind of hidden amusement. Pale lips stretched into a twisted smile, and L opened his mouth.

"You lose."


	6. Struggling

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

"Stop struggling, B! You're only making this harder on yourself!"

"No! Put me down, goddamn you, Matsuda! I'm going back to L!"

"Didn't you hear that explosion?! There's no way it's safe!"

Beyond was silent for a second, but then, the clicking of a gun's safety made Matsuda stop running and look down at the red-eyed man he was carrying.

Beyond was pointing a gun up at him, right between his eyes. His face was deadly intent- more so than ever before, and for all Matsuda knew Beyond to be half-joking whenever he had threatened Matsuda before, he knew that the man with the Eyes was not doing so now.

"Take us back, Matsuda."

Swallowing, Matsuda nodded before turning around and loping back the way they had come.

Internally, he whimpered. What was with people and threatening to shoot him?

They didn't get very far, however, before Matsuda froze, and Beyond let out a strangled cry at the sight before them. "Put me down!"

Matsuda complied, and Beyond, clutching his stomach, slowly made his way forwards, finally reaching the block of rocks and brick that L's explosion had caused. "No," Beyond whispered disbelievingly, reaching out to lay a hand against a large chunk of rock. "No."

"Beyond," Matsuda called gently, "See? There's nothing more we can do. We need to get back, tell the others what happened-"

"No!" Beyond shouted, drawing back his hand, and slamming it against the rock. "Fuck! Why?! Without him, we're nothing!" Beyond shouted, sinking to his knees. "I…I can't be L. I'm not him. We're going to fall apart without him."

Looking up, Beyond's red eyes narrowed into a glare, directed at the wall and at those behind it, on the other side. He was silent, and Matsuda spoke up. "No, you're not L. But you're his brother, and he would want you to try. That was his last wish, and as his twin, you should honor it."

"Last wish?" Beyond muttered darkly, still staring at the blockage. "You say that like he's dead."

Matsuda remained silent, and Beyond spoke once more. "No, he's not dead. Kira would want to gloat over capturing his greatest rival. L is not dead," Beyond said darkly. Shaking his head, Beyond unsteadily rose to his feet, throwing a last glare at the wall in front of him before turning to Matsuda.

He was taken aback at the sudden rage and sorrow that filled Beyond's red eyes. "Nor will he be at Kira's hands. If I'm the next L, then the rest of the Task Force must follow my commands. We'll put all our efforts into regaining L. we'll up our efforts against Kira, let him know that while he may have L, we're not going to lay down and die. We won't stop until L is back, and we're going to make damned sure that Kira knows this. This isn't over," Beyond vowed vehemently, and Matsuda nodded.

"Yeah, B. We'll get him back. L didn't put you in charge just because you're his brother, though I'm sure that was part of it. He did it because he trusted you, and knew that you wouldn't stop until you had gotten him back. He knew that the best chance of being freed rested with you, B," Matsuda said in a rare moment of insight.

Beyond nodded. "And L was right. We'll get him back. Kira had better be watching his back, because the first chance I get, I'm going to put a knife in it," Beyond promised. "Let's go, Matsuda. Plans need to be made."

* * *

Mikami stared at L, who was smirking up at him.

"You lose, Mikami. The one with the Eyes is long gone. You'll never catch him now," L said smugly.

"You bastard," Mikami growled. "You set this up," he said, gesturing to the blocked-off tunnel. "You did this to prevent us from following after them."

"Mmm, somewhat," L hummed. "Partly, it was because they didn't want to leave me behind. Do you really think that we wouldn't have hidden the entrances to our base extremely well? Even if you had pursued my associates, they would have been safely back at our headquarters long before you would have ever caught up to them."

Mikami glared at the infuriating man before him. So smug, even in the face of losing. "It doesn't matter," Mikami grit out. "We've finally captured you. Kira-sama will be most pleased."

"I've no doubt of that," L replied. "However, my leg is bleeding quite badly- the explosion jarred it quite badly, and I think it may have dislodged the bullet within from where it was in the bone. It could be tearing up the muscles and blood vessels within, and unless something is done soon, I may bleed out and die. I don't think that Kira would appreciate you lugging a dead L to him, would he?" L asked.

Mikami shrugged. "Dead or alive, it doesn't matter to Kira-sama. But now that you're captured, your little team will fall apart."

L laughed at that. "I wouldn't be sure of that."

Mikami just shook his head. "Enough. I grow tired of this." Striding forwards, he nudged L's wounded leg, stopping the laughing and making the man bite back a gasp. "Get up and walk."

* * *

L stared up at Mikami for a second before narrowing his eyes. So that was how the man was going to play? Revenge for all the times he had eluded him? Fine.

Two could play at this game.

"I never knew you to be vindictive," L muttered as he leant back off the wall, and bracing his hands on the ground, pulled himself upright, doing his best to ignore the hot pain in his thigh. "In all our years of cat and mouse, I never once deliberately caused you or your men pain."

Mikami snorted, watching in satisfaction as the man he hated so much struggled to his feet. "What about those explosions that caused damage to my men?"

"That was unintentional," L replied. "They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, I would have expected you to move your perimeter back after the first couple of explosions."

"Shut up," Mikami hissed, annoyed at L's subtle insinuation that his men getting hurt was his fault, "and get up," he ordered, and the guards Mikami had with him immediately came to circle the captured rebel, raising their guns at him.

L raised an eyebrow, hidden behind his mask. Because captured and injured, he was in just the perfect state go on a killing spree and take all them down.

Nevertheless, he got to his feet slowly, wincing and holding back a pained gasp as he did so, gritting his teeth. God, his leg hurt.

He shot a rebellious glare at Mikami, but was cut short when one of the guards nudged him in the back with their gun. "Don't disrespect our leader," the guard hissed.

The nudge caused him to stumble, and he cried out, unable to help himself this time. Mikami watched all of this coolly, making no move to stop the actions, only waiting until L had steadied himself once more, before bringing out a pair of handcuffs and tossing it to the guard in front of L. "Cuff him."

The guard caught it and nodded, moving behind L to roughly jerk his arms back, the movement making him wobble on his weakened legs, and harshly brought L's wrists together, snapping the cold metal cuffs around them. "He's cuffed, sir," the guard told Mikami, moving back into position.

"Good," Mikami said, smiling as he regarded L. "I would really like to remove that mask, see the face behind the menace, but that privilege belongs to Kira-sama."

L didn't speak, just kept his head down and breathed through the hot pain that was shooting through his leg. If he thought it hurt before, that was nothing compared to now, when he was having to put his weight onto it.

"Alright, let's go," Mikami said. "Watch him, men. I'll alert Kira-sama of our standing." The guard that that pushed L saluted, and then went back to watching L, the man behind the rebel pushing him forwards, forcing him to walk.

The first steps were the worst, L thought, wincing as he was forced to limp along. Having his hands cuffed threw him slightly off balance, forcing him to put more weight on his injured leg than would have been preferable. But after the first few steps, and the consequent loss of more blood, he became light- headed enough that the pain faded a bit, leaving him dizzy and the pain fading to a constant throb.

While L knew this wasn't a good sign, in a way, he was thankful because now, at least, his leg didn't hurt as badly.

* * *

Mikami smiled as he walked ahead of the group, pulling out his cell phone to dial his God. Kira-sama would be most pleased with his capture of L, he knew.

Mikami swiftly punched in Kira-sama's number, holding it up to his ear as he waited.

He picked up on the first ring.

_"Mikami. Status."_

Mikami let a triumphant smile take over his face. "We've captured him."

* * *

L watched Mikami stride away, and then sighed, glancing down at his leg, where the bandage was starting to become red and soaked through with blood. Through his fuzzy-headedness, he tried to concentrate, but it wasn't easy.

Not good.

Forcing himself to think, L remembered how long it took, on average, for three layers of gauze wrappings to become soaked through, and then calculated the rate of blood loss from that, grimacing as his calculations turned up an undesirable rate.

If he didn't want to bleed out, he'd better get to hobbling, then.

But on second thought, perhaps death would be preferable. Maybe, it would be better for him to die of blood loss instead of letting himself be brought before Kira.

No.

He shook the thought away, thinking of his careful planning. He had had Watari construct the failsafe in case his sense of foreboding he had had the night this scheme was thought up proved substantial. He had set it up so that instead of Kira getting Beyond and using the Eyes, he would be left behind instead.

And his last precaution was to set up Beyond to take his place as L. He knew that Beyond being who he was, he would put all of his time, effort, and resources into taking Kira down. He would have the best chance of being freed if Beyond was in charge.

L was never without some kind of backup in case something went wrong, but this was the first time he had had to put it to use.

And Beyond… Beyond, his brother, his twin, was his last chance.

Beyond was… his backup.

And he could only hope, he thought as one of the guards pushed him forwards and snarled at him to move faster, that Beyond wouldn't let him down.

* * *

Light trembled with excitement as he heard Mikami's words.

_We've captured him._

Finally.

L was captured. Apprehended. Ended.

Victory was so sweet.

Letting out a breathy laugh, Light sat down in his chair and leaned back, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment. "You're brining him right to me, aren't you?"

_"Of course, Kira-sama. As soon as we can."_

Light frowned. "What do you mean? Surely, it doesn't take that long to escort a person here."

_"My apologies, Kira-sama. He was injured while fleeing- shot in the leg to prevent his escape."_

"So?" Light said, disapproving now. "Pick him up and carry him or something. I don't care- just get him here. Now." Light's tone allowed no arguments, and Mikami was silent for a second.

_"Of course, Kira-sama. Right away._"

"Good," Light said, and then ended the call, dropping the cell phone onto the desk. He grinned, feeling light now, lighter than he had in the past year. L was finally caught.

He just couldn't believe it.

Ryuk suddenly floated in, munching on an apple he had gotten from Misa, one of Light's friends. The famous model had been a staunch Kira supporter ever since learning that he was Kira, and had been most helpful in swaying important political parties to his side with her charm.

Ryuk simply liked her because she was a never-ending supply of apples.

He swallowed the apple core with a last gulp, and then eyed the now-grinning Light.

"Hey, Light-o, what's got you in such a good mood?"

Light laughed, crossing his hands behind his head and leaning back fully, staring at the ceiling. "My plan worked perfectly, Ryuk. L is captured and Mikami will be along with him shortly. Now that he's apprehended, there's no more resistance," Light said smugly, but then frowned, contemplative. "It's too bad that the one with the Eyes got away, though. He would have been a most valuable tool."

"The Eyes? Oh, you mean the Shinigami Eyes?"

Light nodded. "Yes. Apparently, L has a person working for him who has the Shinigami Eyes. Which is odd, because they don't have a Death Note. If they did, then things would have been much different. In fact, with the Eyes, the knowledge of my name, and pieces of the Death Note they've stolen, I should be lucky that they don't resort to killing and violence, otherwise, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Yeah. Guess you are lucky."

"But, the man with the Eyes still bothers me! How did he get them without being in possession of a Death Note?" Light wondered, frustrated. The thought had been nagging, plaguing him ever since Mikami had told him of the man who had the Eyes,

"Hey, I might know something about that," Ryuk offered.

Light turned to him, an eyebrow cocked. "But you'll only tell me for a bribe, am I right?"

Ryuk nodded. "Now you're starting to catch on."

Rolling his eyes, Light nonetheless reached into the bowl which held Ryuk's apples and tossed him two, the death god scarfing them down immediately. He wiped his lips, and grinned. "I've heard tell of a Shinigami who dropped his Eyes to Earth years ago. None of my kind knows who the Shinigami was, or how it happened, or what happened to the Eyes after they fell. It was rumored, though, that a human came into contact with the Eyes, and through that contact, was granted the Shinigami Eye power. That's all I know, though."

"Hmm," Light hummed, thinking. "Then this person must be the one who received the Eyes."

"Yeah," Ryuk agreed. "Though I'm kinda curious about this person."

Light had to agree with that. "As am I, Ryuk. As am I."

* * *

It was curious, L thought, watching Mikami snap the phone shut and walk back to the group, just how much power Kira could hold over an individual.

"Kira-sama wishes for you to be brought to him as quickly as possible," Mikami said coldly, gesturing one of his men forwards. "But you're going quite slowly, and as Kira-sama wishes for speed, we really have no other choice."

Suddenly, L felt himself being grasped aroudn the middle and hoisted off the ground, slung over a shoulder so roughly that it forced his breath away as his stomach met a hard shoulder.

He shook his head, trying to focus as the world spun around him but it was too hard, and L gave up, instead keeping limp and looking around dazedly. He could feel the blood seeping from the gauze into the fabric of his black suit, but it went unseen, soaked up by the darker fabric.

He dimly hoped that all the movement hadn't caused the shifting bullet to tear into an artery or vein- he'd be in deep shit if it had.

"Damn, he's a bony shit," the man carrying him complained, adjusting him none-too-gently. "His hips are digging into my shoulder."

"You won't have to carry him long, if you would hurry," Mikami replied, before they took off, the man taking no care to move smoothly, each step only aggravating L's wound more.

Bu the breathed through it, trying to focus on other things instead.

Like the smell of warm cookies being baked by Halle, how amusing it was to watch Near and Mello fight sometimes, Matt's ranting about inferior technology and how serious he could get about his games, Beyond's antics…

God, Beyond.

L felt his heart throb at the thought of his brother. It had been a cruel thing he had done, forcing Beyond to leave him, even though he knew it was for the best. Of all the people that made up the Task Force, he'd miss Beyond the worst, he knew, and spent the rest of the trip thinking of his brother.

* * *

When Beyond and Matsuda finally made it back to the base, everyone had heard the news about L, somehow.

Beyond wasn't sure how it had leaked out that L had been captured, but everyone knew, and as soon as Matsuda stepped through the door, supporting a bloody Beyond that had refused to be carried in like some weakling, they were all gathered at the entrance, waiting to bombard them with questions.

"Beyond!"

"Matsuda!"

"What the fuck happened?! How could you leave L behind?!" Mello was the loudest, shoving forwards to grab the front of Beyond's shirt and pull him closer, yelling into his face. "What did you do?!"

"Quiet," Beyond hissed venomously, pushing Mello away, causing the blonde to fall to the ground. "L forced me into this situation. Did you really think I'd leave him behind if I had no other choice?!"

"You could have fought harder," Mello shouted, getting up.

The room had gone quiet now, watching Mello and Beyond. "I did," Beyond yelled back. "I did everything I could to force him to come, but in the end, I didn't have a choice! And neither did Matsuda. There was nothing we could have done. He stayed behind, and made me the new L," Beyond admitted quietly.

A collective gasp ran through the room at Beyond's revelation, and Mello' face twisted into a sneer. "He made you the new L? You, the resident psychopath? The only reason you stayed here was because of L, or you'd be killed by Kira for murdering all those innocents!" Mello said angrily, in his fury bringing up the taboo subject of Beyond's bloody past.

Beyond glared at Mello, his eyes lighting up with an unholy glow as the Shinigami Eyes he possessed were put to use. "IS that what you'd prefer, Mihael?" Beyond said quietly, dangerously. "If that's what you wish, I'll start with you, and then move onto the rest of the Task Force. Because that's what I am, aren't I? a killer with no qualms, blood my only motivation? Because I'll do that, if you wish, instead of doing my damnedest to get L back and safe before Kira has a chance to kill him."

"You don't have a chance of getting L back," Mello said bitterly. "L may have appointed you as out leader, but no one is going to follow a psychopath like you willingly. Without L here to keep you in line, you could go off the handle any day. You're obviously useless," Mello continued, "you couldn't even save L."

"Say that again," Beyond challenged, reaching into his suit and pulling out his pistol, pointing it at Mello. "Say that again, you motherfucker, and I'll blow you straight to hell where you belong."

"Enough." A stern voice cut through the tension layering the air, and Watari appeared, Matt next to him, for once, without his standard cigarette and gaming console. Instead, he looked tense and tired, as did Watari.

"That is enough. Dissent will not help us regain L. He planned what would happen today weeks in advance, the first night that he came up with the plan to break Wedy out."

"What?" beyond said, disbelievingly. He turned to Watari, lowering his pistol from Mello. "He planned on being captured?"

"In a way. He came to me that night, telling me of a foreboding feeling he had about this plan. He felt something would go wrong, and instructed me, in absolute secrecy, to rig a failsafe in case of an emergency. That was the explosion that caused the tunnel to be blocked off. In the best-case scenario, L hoped that it would simply stop any pursuers, but in the worst case-scenario, it would force you to continue on and leave him behind."

"He knew he was going to be captured today," Beyond said, shocked. "Somehow, he knew, and set it up so that I would have no choice but to leave him. That bastard. That goddamned bastard."

"I agree it was selfish of him, but he believed it was for the best. As he stated before, he would not allow Kira to obtain you, Beyond, and took the necessary precautions to prevent that."

Beyond was speechless, staring at Watari mutely.

"And he left everything to you, Beyond. All of his hopes rest on you. He knows that you have the best chance of leading us to victory against Kira. You are dedicated and clever enough to bring Kira down. With L's capture, Kira will grow careless, thinking he had won. We need to take our chance and strike while we can."

"And how do we do that?" Mello asked, shocked at Watari's revelation as well.

"L had a contingency plan for something like this," Watari said. "I'll tell you of it, but only after Beyond gets treated."

"What? He's fine. It's just a little blood," Mello said dismissively, while Beyond glared at Watari, silently warning him not to say any more. He would not have the fact that he was careless enough to get shot get out to these people, who already doubted him.

Watari paid Beyond no attention, though. "No, he's not. If I have read his bod language correctly, I believe that he has been shot in his right side, on the lower torso. Tell me, Beyond, I've heard gunshots to the stomach are painful- how are you feeling?"

"Go to hell," Beyond responded, involuntarily reaching up to clutch at his right side, where there was indeed a gunshot wound, the motion drawing all eyes to the spot. "Tell me L's plan first."

"Get treated first," Watari retorted. "You're of no use dead."

"I'm not going to die," Beyond said. "I'm perfectly-" He cut off as his hand flew to his forehead, groaning as he suddenly swayed.

"B!" Matsuda exclaimed, rushing to the unsteady man. "What's wrong?!"

"It's L," Beyond replied faintly. "Something's wrong. He's not well, and something's going on. Those bastards better not be doing anything to him," he hissed, rubbing his temples.

And though Beyond didn't know it, the movement left a circle of blood on his forehead, red blood dripping from his fingers from when he had been clutching his own wound.

* * *

L was dimly aware of when they exited the sewers- it got brighter, and the sound of the guard's footsteps was not one of hitting brick, but tile.

There was some shouting, and then a ding, and a feeling of moving upwards, which felt rather odd in his disoriented state.

They were in an elevator, L surmised, and counting the dings until they stopped and the guard carrying him moved once more, they were about floor floors up.

The sound of the footsteps became softer and more padded- they were on carpeted flooring, then.

They didn't go very far before he dimly heard Mikami's voice ordering them to stop. Little beeps indicated Mikami was typing a code onto a keypad or the like, and then the swishing sound of an automated opening door.

They moved once more- just a few steps, and then halted. "Kira-sama," L heard Mikami say, "We've brought you L."


	7. Exposed to a God's Greedy Eyes

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Light looked up as the sound of his door opening was heard, and the familiar figure of Mikami stepped forwards, along with a few of the guards his Second-in Command had employed.

One of them was carrying a lanky, black-suited figure, and excitement surged through Light, making him catch his breath as he set his pencil and the Death Note aside.

L.

"Kira-sama," Mikami said, giving a low bow, the rest of his guards doing so as well, the one carrying L doing his best to do so without dropping the figure on his shoulder. "We've brought you L."

"Bring him here," Light said, trying to suppress his excitement as he stood up and walked around the desk, never taking his eyes off of L. For so long, he'd waited for this day, for the day that he would finally get to unmask the infamous L, to see him finally brought down to his knees, at Kira's feet.

It was a most glorious day.

The guard carrying L complied, coming closer and sliding L off of his shoulder, onto his feet.

The lanky form of his rival swayed unsteadily before righting himself, though Light noticed, as he raked the man's form over once, that he seemed to be swaying on his feet, and was favoring his right leg.

Mikami said that he had been injured while fleeing, and that was probably it. He had been shot in the leg, and that was most likely the cause for L's unsteadiness. Pushing aside his worries for the moment, Light allowed himself to bask in the glory of his victory.

And finally, finally, he was able to address L, his rival, his menace, in person.

"L," Light said, and the man lifted his head slightly, but not enough to see his eyes, or any of his masked visage. The effort alone, actually, looked like it took great effort, and Light frowned at that. He had been expecting more out of the great L, more defiance. This silence didn't suit him at all.

"Finally, we meet," Light said, pressing forwards, relishing finally being able to say the words.

There was still no response from L, though, but Light was not deterred. He stepped forwards, and reached out to rest his hand almost reverently on L's neck, where the edge of the black mask lay. He paused for a moment, amber eyes flicking up to see if there was any change in the position of L's head, but it remained bowed, eyes hidden from his sight.

Then, almost trembling with anticipation at finally being able to unmask the greatest criminal to have ever challenged, him, Light grasped the edge of the mask firmly and slowly drew it up, revealing L's face little by little, until it slipped fully off, and Light tossed it to the side, uncaring of where it landed.

Reaching out, Light placed a single finger under L's chin, and pressed upwards until L lifted his head, and for the first time, the face of Light's greatest rival was revealed to him. L's wide, obsidian-black eyes stared calmly into his, not a single emotion present in the fathomless black gaze.

"Finally," Light breathed, eyes hungrily scanning over L's face, taking every detail into account and committing it to memory, a twisted smile appearing on his lips. "The face of the great L, revealed at last. I've waited for this moment for years, waiting to see what you were like in person, wanting to see the face behind the mind that taunted me so cruelly. And what a pretty face it is," Light continued, stoking a thumb along L's jawline.

Something flickered in L's black gaze, before it was gone, hidden under blankness once more. Light saw it, though, and delighted in it.

"So pale and pretty," Light whispered, before his hand seized tight around the sides of L's face, causing an almost certainly unplanned wince of pain to cross L's face. "But so delicate, it makes me wonder how easy it would be to crush you in the palm of my hand," Light smirked cruelly before releasing L, stepping back.

"Looking at you… it almost makes me sick, seeing how skinny and fragile you look. I had hoped my rival would be more substantial, more equal to myself. It's almost detestable," Light mocked, elation at his victory making him cruel.

L, however, didn't respond to the taunts, instead giving a sigh and a little shake of his head, as if to clear it.

"Then detest it all you wish, Kira. If you remember, I live to displease you," L said quietly, his first words spoken, and Light repressed a shudder at hearing the true voice of his greatest rival for the first time. There was some sort of inexplicable thrill of being here, finally able to experience meeting his rival in person, of seeing the true man behind the mask and the distorted voice that sent such mocking, horrendous messages.

L's quiet, bland baritone pleased him for some reason- it was the perfect voice to go along with his rival- perfectly emotionless, it spoke of many emotions and inflections that were hidden beneath the surface, and suddenly, all Light wanted to do was dig deeper, find out more about the mysterious man that had plagued him for so long.

"I can guess what you have in store for me, Kira," L continued, tone as bland as ever. "Although, I do admit to being curious as to how and when you plan to kill me. I will not give you my name, so you cannot use the Death Note. So how will it be?" L pressed, calm despite the fact that he was talking about the methods of his own death. Fascinating. "Will it be the electric chair? Lethal injection? Or will you take a page from the medieval ages and hang me for all of the world to see? Lop off my head and impale it on a spike, put the trophy at your front door?"

Light chuckled, unable to help himself. "What are you talking about, L? I'm not going to kill you- at least not yet. You could be quite the valuable source of information, or at least a source of entertainment. No, you won't die, at least until you're not useful anymore."

"And what makes you think I'll give you any information? And how do I know that you aren't lying, and plan to kill me as soon as possible?" L questioned quietly.

Light smiled. "Because I'll hunt your other associates down if you don't," he said matter-of-factly. "I know your base is in the sewers somewhere- I'll search for years if I have to, rip apart the sewers tunnel by tunnel. I have the resources and means to do it, and I will."

"They'll be long gone before that happens," L replied, then sighed. "I'll be of no use to you, and if you want to kill me yourself, you'll want to do it quickly."

Light's brows furrowed- he didn't know what L was talking about. "And why is that?" he questioned.

"I was shot in my upper thigh- the bullet lodged in the bone, but it came free, and I'm afraid all the shifting around caused by the movement from walking and being carried has made it tear something. I was losing blood before Mikami captured me, and after his gentle treatment, the rate of blood loss only escalated. If I've done my calculations right, my body will be at its limits and the lack of blood in my body will cause me to pass out in about seven seconds," L explained calmly, body already wavering.

"Wha-?" Light started, alarmed, but then L's words sunk in, and he rushed forwards, even as L crumpled to the ground, landing on his side.

Mikami and his guards moved forwards, as well, but Light quickly stopped them. "No!" he barked, holding up his hand. "I'll deal with this," he said, dropping to his knees and bending over L's unconscious figure.

Reaching out, he rolled the masked man onto his back, and then reached out tot the red-soaked gauze he had failed to see earlier in his elation. Anger surged through him, at both Mikami, L- un, though he was unwilling to admit it, himself as well.

Mikami was an idiot for not realizing L was about to pass out from blood loss, and L for not bringing it to attention, even though he knew L never would have. If what he knew of L so far held true, the man was far too proud to admit he was wounded in pain, and honestly, Light would have been disappointed with this sign of weakness from the rival he viewed as almost infallible.

And the anger at himself for not being aware of the dripping red bandage that was wrapped around L's thigh. He had been so excited, so high from his victory over L that everything else but the man's prescience had failed to catch his attention.

Unwrapping the bandage, he tossed it aside, only to curse as he saw the raw, red-edged hole that was ripped into L's pale thigh. The edges were a bright, angry red, and crimson blood leaked out of the wound at a steady rate, not pumping out, luckily, but at a large enough rate to make Light worry.

Angry at Mikami's carelessness, he leveled a glare upon his now-quailing Second-in Command. "You knew of this wound, and you did nothing to address it? Surely, you would have seen the signs of him weakening- I did, as soon as your bumbling guard let him onto his feet," Light sneered, and Mikami bowed low, groveling.

"Many apologies, Kira-sama. My only thought was of getting him to you, and-"

"Silence," Light said coldly, cutting Mikami off. "We will talk later, after this issue is resolved. Go tell the doctor to prepare for the removal of a bullet, and have a room prepared in the infirmary. And take your guards with you," Light ordered.

Mikami bowed and withdrew, his guards following him, Leaving him alone with his unconscious rival.

Light gazed down at L, taking a moment to savor the position. L was finally in his hands, helpless, neutralized. No more would this man plague and nettle him, send him taunting messages and vandalize his property.

It was a powerful feeling, holding sway over the greatest criminal to ever rebel against his noble cause, and Light savored it fully.

Everything about his rival was absolutely perfect, better than Light had ever hoped, dreamed for it to be.

The pale, perfect skin of his rival was a glorious contrast for the ink-black, fluffy spikes that adorned L's head, splaying out on the ground and falling gently across his face. Thick black smudges lined L's eyes, contrasting sharply with white skin, creating a beautiful monochrome of the two stark colors.

Light smiled a she ran a hand over L's eyelids, watching as they twitched at the touch. _L has eyelashes like a girl,_ Light thought almost amusedly as he ran a thumb over them.

"Glorious," Light breathed, eyes scanning over L's face. "All these years of irritation, annoyance, they were all worth it. I do hope you choose to join me," Light murmured, his mind racing, making plans, plans in which this fascinating man was at his side, using the no doubt brilliant brain he possessed to serve Kira for the bettering of the world, "for it would be a shame to kill you."

Taking one last, good look a the unconscious visage of his rival, it was with some reluctance that Light slipped his arms under L's body and picked him up, cradling him almost gently, before heading down to the infirmary.

Although, he thought idly as he stepped out the door, it was odd that he hadn't seen Ryuk for awhile….

* * *

Which was because Ryuk was not in the vicinity- not even close, in fact. As soon as Light had told him of the man who possessed the Shinigami Eyes without being a bearer of the Death Note, his interest had immediately peaked.

The tale that he had told Light of the Shinigami that had dropped his Eyes to Earth hadn't been made up, and it was true that none of the Shinigami knew what had happened to the Eyes- it was a mystery that had never been solved. The possibility that the human that had encountered the Eyes and gained their power was here, in Japan, was worth looking into, if only to put to rest his own rising curiosity.

Truth be told, he knew exactly where L's base was located- he just had no interest in telling Light. Doing so would mean L's capture, and the end of Ryuk's form of entertainment watching Light continuously be frustrated by the criminal. Plus, way back in the beginning, Ryuk had pledged to neither help nor hinder Light, and telling him of L's base would most definitely be helping the holder of his Death Note.

So now, he flew across the city, and when he was above where he knew L's base to be, he dove down, phasing through the cement and brock walls that would have impeded his way if he were a human. He twisted through the complicated twists and turns of the tunnels, until he reached the heart of the systems, where L's headquarters were located.

Invisible and intangent to those at base, Ryuk floated along the halls, peering into face after face of the members of L's team- but they all stared through him, unseeing.

Getting annoyed at not finding the one he wanted, Ryuk decided to check out one last room, and if the man with the long-lost Eyes was not found by then, he would simply come back tomorrow.

Idly, he listened to some snatches of the conversations going on around him while he floated along the walls, growing more interested as time went on by what was being said.

"…Beyond was in really bad shape, wasn't he..."

"…Heard it took Watari while to dig that bullet out…"

"…Can't believe L's gone… "

"…My question is, why couldn't B see that L's lifespan was going down and do something? I mean, obviously, now that Kira has him, it's only a matter of time before he's eliminated…."

Ryuk smiled sharkishly at the new developments he heard were going on.

So, the base was in an uproar because L had been captured? Light's plan had worked, then.

And that little tidbit about this B seeing L's lifespan… It was obviously the man with the Eyes. And if he was wounded, then he was most likely  
in the infirmary. Ryuk had been here once or twice before, and knew where it was.

Grinning, Ryuk flew straight to the infirmary, delighting in the way things had been turning out.

It was a bit sad that L had been caught, yes- it would end his amusement at seeing Light so frustrated day after day. But, on the upside, if L was anything like the messages he sent Light- taunting, mocking, and challenging- the two being in close proximity would no doubt be highly entertaining, and Ryuk really wanted to be there to see that.

So.

See this human quickly, perhaps chat a bit, and fly back to watch the encounter between L and Light.

Right.

Chuckling to himself, he floated through the wall to the infirmary, hanging back silently as he heard hoarse yelling.

"…Don't care if he bucking asks you to martyr him for whatever goddamn reason his idiotic mind can think up! If you ever, _ever_, do something like this for L again, if-when- we get him back, I fucking swear, Watari, that I will kill you myself!"

A soothing, low voice, too quiet to make out individual words came then, obviously trying to calm the yelling one down.

"I don't give a shit if he's your superior! God! We lost him! _I_ lost him! Do you know how much this hurts, to be separated from him?!" The voice cracked near the end, and a sob came, full of despair. "You can't imagine… God, I'm lost without him… it hurts so badly, you can't even fucking fathom how much this hurts… God… And I feel like a failure- it should have been me, why couldn't it have been me?! L…. I…Shit…"

The voice trailed off, the occasional sob heard, and that low voice came again once more, before the door to the infirmary opened, and an elderly man that Ryuk had seen once or twice came out, bloodsplattered and weary.

Ryuk watched him go, sidestepping before the human could walk through him- apples, he hated it when humans did that!

After the human was gone, Ryuk returned his attention to the infirmary, listening to the muffled, cracked sobs coming out of the room.

If what this guy was saying was any hint, coupled with his reaction, he had to know L. And, after what he ad heard, if the man with the Eyes was in the infirmary, and this was the guy he was talking about…

The man with the eyes had close connections to L.

Ryuk grinned.

Desperation made humans do amusing things, and the thought of a hell-bent human with the Shinigami Eyes out for Light's blood was going to make things so interesting. So much fun.

Apples, he loved the human world.

With that thought firmly in mind, Ryuk floated into the infirmary, taking a moment to examine the human that held the Eyes before he was noticed. Black, spiky hair, pale skin, lanky form with a thik white bandage wrapped around his waist, dark circles around reddened eyes- No, Ryuk realized, the eyes were slightly bloodshot from the crying, but the man's eyes were _red_.

Shinigami Eyes.

Or… an albino with dyed hair?

Well, only one way to find out.

Ryuk coughed once, causing the man to look up, red, shining eyes widening in shock.

Yep. Definitely the possessor of the long-lost Shinigami Eyes.

And the only thing that would make this situation better would be if-

"Shinigami," the man breathed, disbelief evident on his tearstained, distraught face.

Ryuk smiled, ever-present grin becoming only more wider.

Apples, this was going to be fun.

Humans were so…_interesting…_


	8. Arguments Against a False Deity

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Beyond stared at the Shinigami that had appeared in front of him.

A Shinigami. He'd known of their existence, had even met one while he and L were on the run- not that he'd ever told L. In fact, he'd kept the existence of Shinigami from L, not wanting to scare his brother with the thought of creatures that could see his true name as Beyond could.

But the Shinigami he had met had been quite the fount of information, as soon as he'd found out how to bribe the Shinigami. It had wanted to learn more about humans and examine them, and Beyond had struck a deal with the Shinigami- in return for letting the Shinigami examine his body, the Shinigami would tell him more about the Death Notes they carried and about the Death Gods themselves.

Beyond had stripped down, L and Watari slumbering some feet away, and for an hour, had endured the curious Shinigami's fascinated staring, poking and prodding, answering queries about the human's physiology and deeper bodily functions, and remaining limp as the Shinigami lifted his arms and legs, moving them around to better see how the joints worked.

At the end of the hour, Beyond had put his clothes back on, and became the querier, asking question after question about the Death Notes, Death Gods, and the Shinigami Eyes he possessed, as soon as the eye trade was mentioned. He never revealed that he had them, but learned a great deal about their powers, although he was clueless as to how he had come into possession of them.

By the time it came for the shift change and for the Shinigami to depart, Beyond had learned quite a great deal about the way Kira killed, and about the powers he possessed as well.

He had immediately imparted this knowledge to L, revealing his possession of the Eyes and their powers to L, as well as Kira's method of killing. He had twisted the truth when L had asked him how he came about this knowledge, instead telling him that he had woken up with the knowledge and the Eyes- it was a feeble excuse, but l had no reason not to believe him, and accepted what Beyond had said as the complete truth.

It was one of the only times Beyond had lied to L, but didn't feel guilty about it- reveling the existence of numerous creatures that could see his true name would only escalate his ever-growing paranoia, and Beyond wanted L to rest somewhat easily at night. It was to protect L, he justified, and Beyond always took care of his twin.

But that had been the only Shinigami he had met, and it seemed pretty young- it still looked somewhat human, and the lifespan he could see floating above the Shinigami's head had been low- only about 10 years or so.

This Shinigami, however, was not young, Beyond could tell. It's lifespan numbered in the high hundreds- Beyond did some quick calculations and turned up 798 years- and it was quite relaxed and comfortable floating in front of him, grinning with that horrid, shark-like smile. But what did it want?

"Name's Ryuk," the Shinigami said. "Your name's Beyond, right? Heard it out in the halls before I came in here."

"Shinigami…" Beyond said, as if to confirm it. "Ryuk… yes, my name is Beyond. What is a Shinigami doing here, bothering me?" Beyond asked suspiciously. It couldn't be good that as soon as L had been captured by Kira, who owned a Death Note with a Shinigami attached to it, one had appeared before him, L's brother.

This couldn't be a coincidence. Beyond, while not paranoid like L was, was a naturally suspicious person, and this Shinigami's presence here made him narrow his eyes and reluctantly push away thoughts of L's capture and focus on the matter at hand.

Plans to regain L could wait until this Shinigami, this Death God had been dealt with.

Ryuk chuckled. "I heard a funny story- I won't tell you who from, because that would ruin all of my fun, but I heard that you possessed a set of Shinigami Eyes and didn't own a Note. So, I came down here to see for myself. The fact that you can see me without having touched you with my Death Note is proof enough that you have them."

Beyond's eyes widened. This Ryuk- had he heard from the Shinigami he had met all those years ago? He mentally cursed- his possession of the Eyes he didn't want every Shinigami to know. They could see his name, and if word of his name and possession of the Eyes reached the Shinigami that was attached to Kira's notebook….

Beyond shuddered at the thought. "I find it hard to believe that you wanted to see me just because of this reason, Shinigami," Beyond said, sitting up fully, wincing as it pulled on his stitches that Watari had sewn him up with. "Shinigami are lazy and rarely come down to the human world- what is your purpose being here?"

"Smart little thing, aren't you?" Ryuk mused, tapping his shin with a long, skeleton-esque finger. "Fine. I'll give you that. I did speak the truth before, though. I did come to see the one who possessed the Eyes and no Death Note- but for two reasons. One, I won't tell you, because it would ruin my amusement. But the second reason, I will tell you, along with a little story- I'm feeling quite generous today- I'm in aratehr good mood," Ryuk said, before settling down on the ground.

The long, lanky form of the Shinigami was tall enough hat Beyond could still see him from where he was sitting int he bed, and he watched the Shinigami cross its legs and prop its chin on a hand, starting at him.

Beyond repressed a shudder at the stare- the Shinigami's eyes were eerie, a bright yellow with a pure red pupil, bulging and almost fishlike. They didn't seem to fix on any one object, but Beyond could still feel the heavy stare of the Death God in front of him.

"Now, story time," Ryuk said. "Listen closely, because I'm only gonna tell this one time. Years ago, a Shinigami- no one knows this Death God's name- dropped its Eyes to Earth. None of us knew how this happened, or where they fell, only that a human came into contact with them, and gained their power. The human's identity was unknown- until now," Ryuk grinned. "You're the human that gained those Shinigami's Eyes- you got quite the deal. Didn't have to give up half of your lifespan or anything."

Beyond listened closely, quickly processing what Ryuk was telling him. At least he knew how he had gotten the Eyes, now, and where they had come from.

"That makes sense," Beyond nodded. "That does clear some things up. But," Beyond said, looking straight into the Shinigami's horrible yellow and red fish-eyes, "is that the only reason you came here? You simply wanted to see what the human who possessed the Eyes looked like? I find that hard to believe, that a Shinigami would come to see my physical appearance. What is your real motive?"

Ryuk chucked raspily. "Well, to see you, and to see if you really had the Eyes." Ryuk got up, and his wings erupted out of his shoulders with a sharp cracking sound. "Oh, and one of the humans walking the halls said that you had close connections to L, and after what I heard you say to the old human, I pu two and two together. You're L's lover," Ryuk laughed, "or his brother- whatever it is, you're close to L."

Beyond sat straight up at the Shinigami's words, staring at him, shocked. "You know about L?! Tell me how!" Beyond demanded, but Ryuk only laughed, spreading his wings.

"Kira and L's rivalry is well-known, even in the Shinigami world. It'll be interesting to see how Light and L react to each other," Ryuk said, grinning. "Light can be a very ausing human."

Light. The Shinigami called Kira by his real name.

That only meant one thing.

Ryuk saw the understanding dawn upon Beyond's face and cackled. "Oh, did I forget to mention that? I'm the Shinigami who owns Light Yagami's Death Note," Ryuk grinned, before turning away. "But... I think I've given enough away- it's time to go back. Later," Ryuk said, before flapping his wings once, disappearing through the walls, gone before Beyond could recover.

* * *

L had lost a lot of blood, Light had been informed, and had almost died while the doctor removed the bullet. It had been lodged in an artery, and by removing it, had taken away the only thing stopping the flow of blood.

Luckily, the doctor was able to cauterize the artery before L lost too much blood, and a steady stream of blood transfusions had saved the criminal's life. But, the surgery had been long, and it would take L a long time to recover. As it was, he was still asleep, and would not be expected to wake up for a while.

But when he did wake up, Light was warned that he would still be dazed from the drugs and anesthesia, and would not get anything out of L if Light attempted to question him in that state; in fact, the bombardment of questions would only hinder L's recovery, and so Light was warned to not do anything that would agitate L.

Light hated being told what to do by a simple doctor, but bowed to the man's expertise in the area, and promised that he would follow the instructions.

Which was why Light was now currently sitting in the only chair in the white infirmary room, elbows braced upon his knees, watching L. The black- haired man was lying asleep in the infirmary bed, thin white sheet drawn up over his thin body. L's chest rose and fell steadily with his breathing, and the heart rate monitor attached to L beeped steadily and slowly.

Light watched L, simply because there was nothing else for him to do. There was nothing else to occupy his mind, and so he reverted to staring at L, examining while the man slept on, losing himself in his own thoughts.

He had to admit, it had been quite the surprise when he had unasked L, and revealed the face underneath the mask, behind the L. For so long, he had imagined L to be a tall, muscular, fearless leader, mocking and derisive, laughing in the face of death.

To see L as he had been, a tad shorter than Light himself, lithe and lanky, had been a surprise. But he had been even more shocked when he pulled the black mask off, and revealed L's almost delicate, white face, and wide, calm black eyes, blank except for the intelligence hidden deep within their depths. He had not laughed, had not mocked as he did on the tapes he sent in after a successful scheme- instead, he had calmly inquired about the method of his death, even when he talked about the wound he had attained at Mikami's hands.

He had shown no fear, no fright, even when facing the man who could have him killed at the snap of his fingers or a simple order, and had shown little weakness.

Light found L fascinating, and that was no simple feat; to capture and hold Light's fickle attention, and in such a short span of time, too. This in itself caused Light to be reluctant to kill L, at least until he grew bored or had puzzled out the enigma that L was.

He had so many questions to ask L, to dive deep within the fascinating mind, and he waited impatiently for L to wake up, reluctant to leave the room. Everything else seemed uninteresting now, paling in comparison to the man sleeping just a few feet away from him.

L's heart monitor beeped on steadily, and Light sighed, settling back into the chair. The doctor had said it would take L awhile to wake up- it was a good time to take a nap, catch up on the sleep L had been causing him to lose.

Settling back, Light closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

L regained consciousness slowly, eyes fluttering as they struggled to open.

His head felt fuzzy, and when he did manage to open his eyes, everything was blurry and indistinct. His thoughts felt frighteningly slow, and he tried shaking his head in an effort to clear it, alarmed when the muscles of his neck felt too heavy to even attempt to move.

Desperately, L tried to recall what had happened to leave him like this, and memories came rushing back.

The plan. Breaking Wedy out. Mikami. Running. Getting shot. Beyond getting shot. Forcing him and Matsuda to leave him. Activating the failsafe. Being brought before Kira. Passing out.

And now, waking up. L coughed once, finding his throat to be extremely dry, and from his right, a cushioned chair shifted.

He wasn't alone in the room.

Footsteps he heard getting closer, until they stopped at his side.

"I see you've finally woken up," a familiar, smooth voice said, and L closed his eyes momentarily. Of course Kira would want to be here to gloat.

"Yes, it would appear so," L replied, voice scratchy and hoarse. "What are you doing here? Surely, Kira has better things to do than watch his invalid prisoner sleep?"

Kira chuckled, and L was able to gather enough strength to turn his head slowly to the side, flicking his eyes up to stare into Kira's slanted amber ones. "There are others taking care of that, L," Kira said, L's name rolling off of his tongue smoothly, with no hint of an accent, even though Kira was obviously Japanese.

He had studied his English well, then, in order to be able to pronounce the letter that well. L found this to be quite interesting, and idly wondered how many other languages Kira knew.

"I see," L said, before closing his eyes. "I suppose you've come to kill me, Kira."

A sigh came from the man at his side. "Are you being deliberately stupid, L? I told you before; I won't kill you- at least, not yet. In fact, I actually had the doctor perform surgery to remove the bullet. It saved your life, you know. If I planned to kill you, why would I save you?"

"So that you could have the pleasure of killing me yourself," L said dryly, cracking an eye to stare at Kira. "One would not consider it a victory over his rival if the rival died without being killed at his hand."

"I suppose you could say that," Kira allowed. "However, as of this moment, I have no plans to kill you."

"Then what do you want?" L pressed. Kira had said he wouldn't kill him, but what other use would the man have for him? He had already said that he would die before revealing information about those at headquarters; this was true, too. So what did Kira want?

Kira paused for a second before answering. "For years, you've eluded me, L, rebelling against my cause. You've wanted to return the world to how it was before I took over. And for years, the reasoning behind your cause mystified me. Look at the world, L- there's little crime. People wish to exist in a world where there is no crime, and that is what I've given them. It would be the perfect utopia, if only those like you would realize how much better it would be to give up, and accept my vision of the world."

"No," L said as soon as Light finished talking. "It is human nature to break laws. No matter how much fear you instill in the population, there will always be crime- there is wrongdoing right now, in the world, isn't there? I'm living proof of that."

Kira simply shook his head. "There's still crime in the world _because_ of people like you. You give them hope that the world will return to its old ways, with its outdated justice systems. It's people like you that inspire them to rebel against my justice. If you and your band of criminals would just give up, people would stop following your example. If you would just accept my new world," Light said vehemently, "then, it would be a crime- free world."

"You delude yourself with this thinking, Kira," L said, shaking his head as best he could. "You choose to blame crime on myself and those who choose to follow me, wish for the old world to return. You're blind to the fact that there will always be deviants, that there will always be those born with deviations that lead them to crime. There will always be those who are born murderers, rapists, arsonists, molesters- that cannot be controlled, nor can they help they were born that way. You think to deny them life because they were born that way?"

L thought back to Beyond-_God, how he missed his brother_- and his brief stint as a vigilante, after he had gained the Eyes while on the run when Kira was rising to power. If Kira had ever known of Beyond, if his twin had not been as careful as he had been…

Beyond could have been caught and killed by Kira.

That was why he rebelled against Kira with such determinedness. In a world where criminals were executed on sight, L wouldn't be able to protect his brother if he took to the streets again. At least in a world where L was justice, where L held all the power, he was able to keep Beyond's doings under the scope, keep him safe and _alive_.

"What if there are good people hidden under the deviations?" L whispered, closing his eyes. Thinking of Beyond sent a pang through his heart, making him yearn for the comforting prescence of his brother.

"Criminals are criminals, L," Kira said coldly. "They don't deserve to live. I am the one that metes out their rightful punishment."

"You are playing God, Kira."

"I am God!"

"No," L said, opening his eyes and staring fully into Kira's amber ones, seeing the man almost shaking with fury. "You are simply a man who came into possession of an object of immense power and let it corrupt him. You are no God, Kira- you are a man who is living in a world of delusions!" L said heatedly, before the doors opened and the doctor followed by a young nurse burst in, summoned to the room by the erratic beeping of the heart monitor attached to L.

Arguing with Kira had gotten him worked up, increasing his heart rate, and it had alerted the doctors. The nurse immediately went to L's side, fluttering around him, attempting to get him to lay back and calm down, because moving around wasn't good for the stitches, and he needed to recover and rest, and really, what was he thinking, working himself up like this?

L allowed himself to be settled, though he protested when he saw the nurse fill a syringe with a drug from a bottle that he recognized as a sedative.

"Now, don't fight," the nurse said, injecting L with the drug- he was too weak to knock it out of her hand. "You need to heal, and the best way to do that is through sleep, and I don't think that you'll do that on your own. It's for your own good," she continued, setting L's arm back down once the syringe was empty.

L had to give Kira credit- he supplied his medical staff with very good drugs. He could feel his eyes getting heavy, his mind going blank with sleep seconds after being injected. He tried to fight off the drug's effects, but soon gave up- and fell asleep.

* * *

"Kira-sama or not, I did tell you not to work him up," the doctor chided, pushing Light away from the bedside, where the nurse was putting L to sleep. "He needs rest to recover from that wound, and you coming in here and working him up isn't going to help him. He's my patient, and I am the medical expert. You hired me to deal with the wounded- and that's what I do," the doctor said, folding his arms.

He wasn't very intimidating, in his 60's, slight and short, with greying hair and overlarge glasses, but his eyes held a vast amount of wisdom in them. The disproving stare, for some inexplicable reason, made Light felt ashamed.

Perhaps it had to do with the fact that this doctor reminded him of his father…?

No- Light pushed that thought away. He wouldn't think of that, not right now.

"I…do apologize. Going against your instructions was remiss of me, and I will make sure not to do so in the future," Light said softly, bowing.

The doctor nodded curtly. "Good. Criminal or not, I make it a point to help all that need it, and I won't have anyone, Kira or not, interfering with my patient's recovery."

"Of course," Light ceded. "I will make it a point not to agitate him anymore."

_Until he's out of your care._

The words went unspoken, but the doctor knew the hidden meaning under Light's words, and shook his head. He turned to the nurse, who was just drawing thin white sheets over the now-sleeping L. "How much did you give him?"

"As little as possible, just as you instructed, doctor," the nurse replied, arranging the pillow under L's head.

"Good, good," the doctor said, reaching down and checking something off on the chart hanging off of the foot of the bed. "So far, he's shown no adverse reactions… we can make note that this is a safe drug to use for the patient…" the doctor mumbled, jotting something down, before replacing the chart and turning back to Light.

"I must go to check on the other patients- I'll leave you alone with him, but if I must come in here once more, I'm afraid I'll have to ban you from this room until I clear the patient."

"I understand," Light said, and the doctor nodded before leaving the room, nurse following like a faithful dog at his heels.

The door swung shut after the doctor, and Light moved close to the bed, staring at L's sleeping face while the words of their impromptu argument ran through his mind once more.

_You're blind to the fact that there will always be deviants, that there will always be those born with deviations that lead them to crime._

_You are playing God, Kira._

_You are simply a man who came into possession of an object of immense power and let it corrupt him._

Blind. Corrupt. A pretender.

L's accusations ran through his head, and Light gritted his teeth as fury flowed hotly through him. Who was L to say these thingsto him, to _Kira_?! He had bettered the world- crime rates were almost nonexistent, people lived in harmony!

It was L who was wrong!

Fisting the sheets in his hands, Light gazed down at the face of his enemy, a new plan sparking to light.

He had wanted L to join him from the start, ever since L had been brought before him and he had seen the vast, burning intelligence hidden behind carefully blank, obsidian eyes.

But…what if he could lure L fully over to his side, not just join him, but become another Kira, one who would follow Light's orders to the letter, obey him, and even kill for him?

To convince L that his world was the tight one, to strip L of all of his pervious perceptions, and lead L into advocating Light's own brand of divine judgment?

The thought was unmistakably sweet, and Light grinned as he gazed upon L's slumbering, pale face. He reached out to stoke L's cheekbone, a glint in his eye.

_Soon, L, you'll join me. I'll strip away all of your misperceived perceptions, until the only thing you think right is me…_

* * *

Beyond sat up, clutching his chest as his heart suddenly began to pound erratically, and his thigh throbbed with hot pain. He gasped, wincing, as the movement only served to heighten the pain in his side, and he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

Eventually, his heart rate dropped back to normal, and the pain in his thigh- the same place where L had gotten shot running from that dog, Mikami.

Beyond's head dropped upon the thought, and he let out a shuddering sigh.

_L…God, please be alright. Please…just stay safe until I can get you back…_


	9. The First Step Against a God

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Light had eventually left L's room- duty called, and Light, being Light, didn't trust others to handle his work as a general rule.

However, writing names in the Death Note was monotonous, and no matter how hard he tried to keep his mind on his work, he was constantly distracted by the thought of the black-haired man sleeping in the infirmary.

It was a welcome intervention when his wayward Shinigami came floating into the room, snatching an apple from Light's desk before turning on his gaming console and picking up the controller. "Hey, Light-o."

Pushing away the Death Note with a sigh, Light looked up. "Where have you been?" Light asked. "I haven't seen you around the past day or so."

Ryuk laughed, the sound coming out hoarse and raspy. "Wouldn't you like to know? Nah, I don't think I'll tell you," he said, grinning over at Light.

Light's eyes narrowed. Ryuk often held back information in order to be bribed, but this time, Ryuk was definitely insinuating he wasn't going to tell. He thought back to their last conversation- the Eyes. "Was it about the Eyes?" Light pressed. If the Shinigami had information about the Eyes, any sort of information at all, he'd be willing to give the Shinigami a whole barrel of apples, no matter the cost.

Ryuk shrugged, eyes focused totally on the game before him. "Maybe," he said dismissively.

Damn Shinigami. Light felt like growling in frustration, but only took a deep breath instead, pinching the bridge of his nose in-between his fingers, gritting his teeth. "Ryuk… if it is about the Eyes, any information would be useful. If its apples you want, I'll give them to you."

"Well… when you put it that way… I can give you the information, but I won't tell you where I went to get it, or who I got it from," Ryuk stated, but he put his controller to the side nonetheless and got up, wandering over to the desk. He helped himself to a few apples, and in between crunches, told a bit of what he had found to Light. "I won't tell you any specifics, but I can say L's not bluffing when he says he's got someone who has the Eyes. It's the real deal, apparently."

Light's eyes widened and he leaned forwards, clutching the edges of the desk. "You've seen the one who has the Eyes?!"

"Now, did I say that?" Ryuk laughed, taking a bite of another apple. "Could've been another Shinigami I heard it from, you never know- would ruin my fun to tell you for sure. But, I will tell you this- the guy who does have the Eyes? He's real close to L. Like, his brother or lover or something. I'd watch my back, Light, 'cause I'm pretty sure he's gonna be coming for you."

* * *

"B! You shouldn't be out of bed! Your stitches might rip!"

Beyond simply shrugged Watari off as the elderly man tried to prevent him from gathering his clothes and putting them on. He was tired of sitting, rotting away while L was in Kira's hands, god knows what being done to him.

The thought made him grit his teeth, and with renewed determination, even though it aggravated his stitches, he slid his black sweater on and then turned to retrieve his pants. "I'm not going to sit here while L's gone, Watari. You said L had a plan for a situation like the one we're in- gather everyone to the workroom, and then you _will _tell us what it entails. I'm not going to leave L in Kira's hands one day longer than I'm forced to. Understand?" Beyond said, buttoning his jeans up, and red eyes staring hard into Watari's unflinchingly.

Watari hesitated, but then backed away, nodding. "I understand, B. I'll gather everyone and be ready in ten minutes."

Beyond nodded, not noticing Watari leave the room as he slowly bent to put his ratty tennis shoes on, the movement pulling on his stitches and making him gasp.

He didn't bother tying them up, not wanting to waste any more time in the position he was in any longer than he had to, and simply tucked the laces into the tongue of the shoe. He quickly stood up straight once more, sighing in relief as the pressure was taken off of his wound.

He put a hand on his side, bracing himself, before stepping forwards, wincing as he did so. The pain was there, and obviously present, but he'd bear with it. He'd force himself to deal with it, in order to get L back. Flesh wounds would heal over time; the wound it would leave on him emotionally, if he didn't get to L before Kira decided to kill him, wouldn't.

Gritting his teeth, he slowly made his way out of the room, each step sending a sharp spike of pain lancing through his stomach- damn that Mikami! He was next, after Kira, Beyond vowed. He'd get that motherfucker back for shooting both him and L, he'd make sure of that.

Slowly but surely, he made his way down the halls to the workroom, where he could already hear the talking of the team. He entered through the open door, hearing silence pervade the room as he stepped through.

"Damn, B," Matt said, looking up from his game. "You look like hell."

"I've been through hell," Beyond snapped. "My side fucking aches and L is in the hands of a mass murderer. I feel like shit, so why don't we cu the crap and get down to business? L had a plan in case he was captured, Watari said. So buckle down and fucking listen to him, because this may be our only chance to get L back- and I will not allow for any mistakes." Beyond met each of their eyes separately, daring anyone-especially Mello- to say anything else. They didn't and Beyond dropped down into a chair, waving Watari forwards, who had been standing in the corner.

Clutching his side, Beyond took a few deep breaths before gesturing for Watari to start.

"Like B said, L had a contingency plan in case something of this magnitude did happen," Watari started, coming forwards to drop a file on the desk in the middle of the room. "He had contacts in Kira's system, allies that were willing to give information to us if we should ever need it in exchange for protection if they were ever found out."

"So what does this have to do with anything?" Gevanni asked.

"L's agreement with these contacts was that if the time ever came, they were to get you inside Kira's headquarters so that you could break him out."

"We've already tried that," Mello scoffed. "Yeah, we got Wedy, and she's cool and everything, but we lost L," he said, shooting a glance at Beyond.

He bristled, seeing the accusing glance and stood up, leaning towards Mello. "You would have done the same as I did," Beyond sneered. "You're so pathetic, sniffing after L- you would have done anything he said, just to win his approval. You would have left him happily, just because he told you to- you wouldn't have even protested," Beyond spat furiously. "You think so little of me- so petty, Mello. I'm his twin brother, for fuck's sake! Don't you think it hurts me too, knowing I can't do anything? I can fucking feel what he's feeling," Beyond shouted, "and it goddamn hurts like you wouldn't fucking know, Mello. So close your fucking mouth unless it's to say something useful!"

Silence reigned as Beyond sat down, breathing heavily and clutching his side. "Watari," he said unsteadily. "Bring that file over here. You said that the contacts would let us in so that we could break L out- that's the file with their information, right? I want you to contact them and tell them that the new L wishes to meet with them. Set up a meeting over a secure line as soon as possible. And I need L's headset, the one with his special voice distorter- no, scratch that. I need his computer, I'll get it myself," Beyond said, rising shakily to his feet, wincing as he felt skin tear where it shouldn't.

Damn- he'd ripped his stiches yelling at Mello like that. Fucker- he shouldn't let the blonde get him worked up. But God, it pissed him off, the man following L like a dog, insinuating that he didn't care about L.

He'd been through more with his brother than mellow could ever imagine. Even now, he had to repress the urge to turn to the side and ask L what he thought, because L wasn't there anymore. Because of fucking Kira.

Kira.

He'd kill the bastard, he really would. Drive his knife right into the fucker's heart and watch the blood gush out, watch his lifespan spin down to zero and then find L and bring him back, back to where L would be safe.

God.

L.

He was going crazy without the presence of his brother. The calming presence was gone, and he could already feel the instability creeping in, scattering his thoughts without L to keep him in line. He was going insane, without L here to steer him on the right track.

L.

He looked down, seeing a dark, wet splotch beginning to show through the fabric of his black sweater, and rolled his eyes. Served him right for not bothering to be careful or put a bandage on, he supposed.

"That can wait, B," Watari said, coming around to him. "Your stitches have ripped, I see. We need to get that taken care of."

B simply rolled his eyes once more, straightening up. "And I believe we've had this conversation yesterday, after I got back. I won't bleed to death from a couple of ripped stitches, Watari. That can wait until after I finish what I need to do." Shaking slightly, he made his way around the table, going to the desk where he and L had worked for the last few years.

Seeing L's empty seat only served to deepen the despair he felt with L's missing presence and angrily, he shoved L's seat aside, pulling up his own and settling himself down into it. He might have taken L's place, but he refused to sit in his brother's chair. That was L's chair, used by him alone, and he refused to use it. It would feel wrong, as if L was truly lost to them, with no chance of getting him back.

But he'd get L back. He would.

Picking up L's headset, he slipped it on, not needing to adjust it as his and L's face proportions were exactly the same. He turned the headset on, reaching out to flip the switch that would turn the recorder on as well.

"Beyond, what are you planning on doing?" Watari questioned, coming up behind him.

Beyond smiled grimly, before resting his hand on the recording button. "I'm sending Kira a message," Beyond replied. "I don't want him to think that the followers of L will roll over a

nd give up just because he has L. He needs to understand that he hasn't won- and we won't give up."

Watari nodded before backing away, leaving Beyond alone, but the black- haired man didn't notice, other than to turn the recorder on. A beep sounded in his ear, letting him know that the message had started, and Beyond began, speaking lowly into the headset. "Kira… This is L…"

* * *

No change came from L for the next few hours after Ryuk's disturbing revelation, and Light remembered what he had said to Mikami before taking L to the infirmary.

The idiot, in his carelessness, had almost killed L. While the devotion to him was pleasing, the idiocy of the man was not, and Mikami needed to reprimanded for his actions. Sighing, he pressed the button on his desk, telling his secretary to page Mikami.

It didn't take long for the head of his security to come up, knocking timidly on the door before entering, and giving Light a deep bow. "Kira-sama," he said reverently, standing up straight.

Light leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands in front of him and regarded Mikami with something like distaste. "Mikami. Explain to me why you felt the need to injure L in such an extreme way in order to stop him."

"But I did bring him to you alive, Kira-sama," Mikami protested. "And I don't recall you telling me that you wanted him alive."

"Mikami," Light said, disappointment evident in his tone, "why would I want L dead, when he could obviously be a useful source of information? And nearly-dead is not the same as alive. Alive is healthy and strong, Mikami, not about to die from blood loss caused by a careless and admittedly stupid act. It was not what I expected from someone of your intelligence, Mikami."

"Kira-sama… I apologize. Please, forgive this lowly servant for his mistakes," Mikami groveled, bowing low under the weight of Light's disapproving stare. "Please, let me repent- I will do anything you say, whatever it is, without question if you will but let me into your good graces once more."

"That's enough, Mikami," Light said, growing tired of Mikami's apologizing. "I'll think of a fitting punishment for you later. In the meanwhile, tell me what you know of L- has he said anything that would be useful? What have you observed from your interaction with his and of rebels?"

"There was not much L said that I would warrant useful," Mikami started, saying L's name with scorn, before he saw Light's impatient look and hastily added to his previous statement. "But, there were a few things. He confirmed our suspicions that his headquarters are located in the sewers, although they are extremely well-hidden. We have scanned the swearers several times, but have found no indication as to where it is located."

Light nodded. "He must have very sophisticated technology in order to keep his base under the scope. Continue. Anything else?"

Mikami went over the short dialogue he'd had with L before forcing him to his feet and making him walk- and recalled something that Kira-sama would perhaps find interesting. "There was one thing…" Mikami said slowly. "I remember him saying, before he fled down the sewers in his attempt to escape, that he wasn't just L, the criminal. He had been the detective L- if Kira-sama remembers the mysterious man known as the world Greatest Detective? He had been that detective, but was forced into hiding because he was against Kira and the threat level had became too high for him."

Light narrowed his eyes, leaning forwards intently. "This L is the same L that was once the World's Greatest Detective?"

Mikami nodded. "That was what he said- and I find little reason to doubt him. It makes sense, why he rebels against you so vigorously. He wishes for the old justice system to be back because he held so much power, being who he was."

Light's brows furrowed as he thought, and he leaned back, pondering what Mikami had said. "No," he murmured.

While he could believe that the rebel L was the same one as the detective, he had to disagree with Mikami's theory for why he rebelled against Light's justice. There had to be another reason- the L he had unmasked didn't seem like a desperate, power-hungry detective slavering to return the world to the palm of his hand. Quite the opposite, in fact.

And then, there was that moment in he infirmary, when L had quietly questioned Light about those who were good, even under their misdeeds- although Light disagreed heartily with that. Criminals were criminals, and they all deserved to die- it was his philosophy, one that had led him to take control of this crime-ridden world and turn it around for the better.

No, there was a different motive to L's rebellion- and while he could believe that L thought Kira's brand of justice was wrong, this lien of thinking clearly stated by L- he felt that there was more than that behind L's motives. There was another reason L so vehemently resisted Light's world, and it wasn't because the former detective turned criminal wished for power.

It was another puzzle to add to the enigma L was, and Light grew only more intrigued.

Realizing he had been lost in his thoughts, Light looked up at Mikami, still waiting patiently. Hm. He had forgotten- he needed to punish Mikami thoroughly for his actions.

But how to do so…

A thought suddenly struck Light, and his lips curled upwards in a smirk. Of course- it was the perfect plan.

"Mikami. Your careless actions against L could have cost me quite the potential valuable source of information, not to mention that your handling of L was rough and uncouth in his injured state. While I hold no particular love for L, what you did was cruel and as such, I have come up with a fitting punishment for you to atone for your actions." Here Light paused, allowing Mikami to squirm for a second. He had never denied having a slight sadistic streak, and to watch Mikami fidget in suspense was somehow quite stimulating.

"As soon as L is well enough to be moved from the infirmary, you are to be responsible for his needs." Mikami stiffened, his face growing hard, but Light simply smiled and continued. "Karma comes in a full circle, Mikami, and as you were the one to put him in the state he is in right now, you will be the one to take care of him after he recovers. It will be a fitting punishment, I feel, and perhaps teach you some humility. You have grown overproud with the status I have bestowed upon you, and that is not a quality I wish to have in one of my best followers, Mikami," Light finished, his last statement both a reprimand and compliment at once.

"As soon as L is cleared, you are to move him to his new holding cell and cater to his needs until the time comes when he is no longer of use. You will be the one to move him when I wish to speak or interrogate him- and in those cases, you will either bring him to this room, or the interrogation room. His meals will be prepared by the chefs, and twice a day, you will bring him his rations, and at that time, take him to relieve himself as well. That is your punishment, both for disobeying me and for unnecessary cruelty to an injured, defenseless prisoner."

Mikami stood still, shocked at what his God was having him to do, and Light quirked a brow, almost daring Mikami to protest. "If you have nothing else to say, Mikami, you are dismissed."

Mikami didn't move for a second, but then stiffly bowed, murmured a respectful "Kira-sama," and walked out quietly.

* * *

Beyond finished wrapping up the tape that he had just recorded, and handed it to Near. The white-haired boy took it and tucked it into the backpack he wore-part of his college student disguise- and zipped the bag up before slinging it over his shoulder, adjusting the black wig he wore as well.

In truth, one would not recognize Near when in any of his disguises- he was a master at preparing disguises, and as such, was often the one to run errands such as this. Today, he wore a black wig, and using some special face-putty that had been invented by their allies in America, had molded it into a flexible mask that was modeled to look like a Japanese teenager. From there, he had pained it olive-toned and let it dry, leaving him with a paper-thin mask that melded to his face naturally, changing his features, but could easily be pulled off and discarded at the moment's notice.

The Americans were quite the ingenious inventors, and they had gotten many of their more odd, useful things from them. Near was unrecognizable, thanks to his masterful disguise- his white skin was hidden under clothes, make-up, and paint, and his white, curly hair was tucked under a black, shoulder-length wig completing the look.

"You know where to take this, Near," Beyond said, and Near nodded. His black eyes flicked once to Beyond's side, where the dark splotch was getting slightly larger, and Near pointed at it.

"You should get that taken care of, B," he said, and the similarity his quiet, emotionless voice held to L's made Beyond's heart clench.

"I will," he said dismissively, turning back to his computer. He had other things to do- L had a lot of information stored on his computer that he had never shared with Beyond, as it was useless to anyone but L himself. But as the new L, Beyond felt the need to acquaint himself with such things- the financial records, scheduled meetings and such were quite boring to him, but Beyond was determined to keep things in line until L returned and could handle them once more.

But Beyond was yanked from his seat and away from L's files by Near, a determined look flashing through his eyes. "And you always complained about L placing too little importance on himself," Near mumbled, his rough voice losing it monotonous and becoming more irritated.

"Near!" Beyond growled. "what are you doing?"

"Taking you to see Watari," he replied, singing one of Beyond's arms over his shoulders. "I've observed that it hurts you to walk- lean on me until we get to the infirmary," Near instructed, pulling the protesting Beyond along. Damn- the kid was small, but he was strong.

He continued to pull Beyond all the way through the base and down to the infirmary, beyond nto able to struggle free, as his stitches pained him too much.

Near elbowed the door to the infirmary open and dragged Beyond in, presenting him to Watari, who was threading a stitching needle. He deposited Beyond on the bed and stood straight, turning to the elderly man. "I'd recommend locking the doors, Watari," Near said calmly. "He seemed quite determined to stay at the computers and work, and he might sneak out again."

"You little bastard," Beyond breathed, still a bit winded from struggling. "When I get my hands on you-"

"You'd most likely pass out from the effort it would take to follow through with your threat, which no doubt involves the strangulation of my person," Near cut Beyond off smoothly. "This is for your own good, B. You place too little importance on yourself, just as you blamed L as doing. Like it or not, L is not going to be freed overnight, and rushing things will only lead to fatal mistakes. L was so successful because he waited and planed, B. Continuing like this will only push your body and mind to the limits until you break- and we will once again be without a leader."

Beyond was shocked at Near's words, and let out a depreciating laugh. "Don't fucking act like that, Near- as if you care about me. Everyone only tolerates me because L wanted them to. I'm a psychopath, remember? Or have Mello's words not sunk through that curly white head yet?"

"Oh, I've listened to Mello. I simply am unbiased. Mello says what he says out of jealousy- he idolizes L, B, and is envious of your position in L's affections. Not everyone thinks as he does. Mello is simply the most outspoken- we others remain silent because we do not wish to waste time or energy arguing with him. I consider you a friend, even if we have not spoken overmuch- I have always admired you, B, for your numerous skills- and I know many of the others do as well," Near replied.

Beyond stared, speechless at Near's words.

Man, when you go the kid to talking, the eloquent little fucker never shut up.

Near turned to the door, opening it and was just about to exit, before he stopped, one hand braced on the doorknob. "Did you know," he said almost conversationally, "that Mello spent a good three years in the Russian mafia before Kira took over?" Beyond's eyes widened as Near said this, and the white- haired boy continued. "Nasty stuff, the mafia gets up to, I hear. Drug dealings, prostitution…murder. I heard Mello was involved in an explosion that took out about 20 people… and only one of them was their actual target. The rest were ordinary, hardworking people." Near smirked, just a quick upwards twist of his lips. "But of course, you didn't hear anything from me, did you, B?"

And then, he was gone.


	10. The Meeting of M

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Getting around the city had always been easy for Near. He rather enjoyed the thrill of blending in among the people, completely anonymous and totally unrecognizable, but set apart from them because of his motives for going above ground. It was exciting, a thrill, and it was why Near had become so adept with disguises- so he could do this.

He pushed the manhole cover away and tossed his backpack up; it landed with a thump on the concrete. Then, he heaved himself up, standing to his feet and replacing the cover. Near picked up his backpack and sauntered away from the manhole, looking for all the world like a normal Japanese student. Of course, he looked out of place in this part of the city, but no one was paying attention to a random teenager.

And this didn't change as he made his way to the busier, better parts of the city. People were packed onto the sidewalks, paying no attention whatsoever to him.

He grinned with the thrill of remaining anonymous, even as he was on a mission to take a message from L to Kira, an action that would surely get him killed if he was caught.

Like L had been.

But Near refused to think of that. He had faith in Beyond's ability to pull off whatever plan it was that was going to get L back. Beyond was clever and resourceful, Near knew from his observation of the older man.

Near looked up; he was nearing Kira's mansion and he knew that security was tightened here, including numerous security cameras. He pulled out a ball cap from his backpack and slipped it on, tugging it low over his face.

Chuckling quietly to himself, he reached into his backpack and grabbed the tape. He approached the gates to Kira's mansion and slipped through the bars, his small, thin body easily fitting through the spaces. He righted himself and took off along the green lawn, grinning.

_Too easy._

Near's feet crunched on the gravel of Kira's driveway, and the sound drew the attention of a few guards loitering about. They stiffened when they saw Near, reaching into their holsters and drawing out their guns. "Stop, kid!" One of them shouted, and Near shook his head, smiling.

He abruptly took off, making for the front doors and alarmed, the guards gave chase, following Near as he ran. However, Near was faster and reached the front doors easily, the guards far behind him. He set the box containing the tape down and set a note on top of it, arranging it so that it would easily be seen by whoever opened the door.

Then, Near stepped back, glancing behind him- the guards were drawing closer, one of them pulling out his radio and sending a message. Shaking his head, Near turned and sprinted past the guards, making them do an about-face in shock.

He easily slipped through the bars once more, losing himself in the crowd- and was gone before the guards could figure out how it had happened.

A few moments later, the secretary opened the door, her eyes opening in shock as she spotted the box left on the tapes. Reaching down, she picked up the note, reading it, and then let out a surprised exclamation. She swiftly picked up the box, tucking it under her arm and quickly made her way up to Kira's room, intent on delivering the package as soon as possible.

_Greetings to Kira, from L…_

That was all the note said, but it was enough.

* * *

"It's been delivered?" Beyond asked from his sitting position in the infirmary bed. "Good. I want Kira to understand that we're not defeated. We will be getting L back, no matter what it takes."

"I know, B," Near said, sitting in one of the chairs in the corner, his knee drawn up close to his body. "I have faith in your ability. If there's anyone that's going to get L back, it's you."

"Sir," Watari said, coming into the room. "One of the contacts is on the line. He doesn't have very long, but says that much time won't be needed to explain the plan he had ready at L's request."

"Perfect," Beyond hissed, holding out his hand for the headset in Watari's hand. Watari handed it to him and Beyond slipped it on, adjusting the mouthpiece before speaking. "This is the new L."

A youthful voice came from the other line, obviously a man. "Let's skip the pleasantries- I haven't much time, if I don't want Kira to find out I'm using this line to communicate with you. I know that L has been captured and that he's being held here. Watari has the original, correct blueprints of the building and as L requested when I agreed to become his inside contact, I have a plan to free him. You'll have to listen very closely- everything must be completed exactly as I say, or this will have no chance of working."

Beyond nodded. "Go ahead."

"Good. Now, this is what needs to happen…"

* * *

Light dismissed the secretary as soon as she had delivered the box and frowned, turning it over in his hands. It seemed almost like…

No.

A little piece of paper stuck on the back of the wrapped box caught Light's attention, and his eyes narrowed as he plucked it off, holding it up to read it.

His eyes quickly scanned the words, and furious, he crumpled up the paper and tossed it away, glaring down at the box in his hand.

The bastard never quit, did he?!

Even wounded, broken, and in Light's hands, L _just never quit!_ It infuriated him, making his breath come faster and hands clench tightly around the box. Sitting down, he popped the tape into the player that he had sitting on his desk and pressed play. He was intent on hearing what it had to say even if the thought of L continuing to rebel against him even while captured pissed him the hell off.

It was his followers, no doubt.

Fucking L's followers.

They wouldn't give up, even when their leader had been imprisoned. Fuck them all.

The tape made a clicking noise, and then the same distorted voice that had been used in all of L's previous tapes came on, even though it couldn't possibly be L himself.

"Kira… This is L...

"You think you've won. But the game's not over until **I** say it is. We've just gotten started, and we're coming for you. You'll regret the day you captured him, Kira. You'll rue the day you ever dared harm him, and by the time we get done with you, you'll be wishing that you had never gotten ahold of that notebook.

"We will be seeing each other soon- and when we do, I'll be the last thing you see in your miserable existence.

"Prepare yourself, Kira."

The recording clicked off and Light sat staring at it, his mind whirling. He ignored the threats, putting little importance on them, instead focusing deeper on the message.

The speaker obviously wasn't L- the message was not worded in his style, and there was a light undercurrent of anger that seeped through even with the voice distortion. L's voice remained ever emotionless, never changing even when he had been shot and was on the verge of passing out. This message was as good a confirmation that it _was_ their leader that was holed up in his infirmary and not some copy, as he had slightly suspected.

Light knew L was a scheming little planner and not to be trsuted, so he was suspicious of everything L did.

The knowledge that it had to be L in his infirmary made Light feel a bit better.

They were obviously planning something- the goddamn group of schemers always had something up their sleeve. They had said they were coming for L, which implied that they were going to break him out, perhaps along the same routes that they had done so with Wedy.

Light made a note to increase security in the sewers and to install security cameras at regular intervals along the tunnels near the underground part of his mansion, and to up security at all possible entrances. The sneaky little fucks would most likely try sneaking in, and Light would do his utmost to prevent that.

Then Light sat back, allowing his mind to wander to other things. Namely, L.

L's true motives remained a mystery to him, and he tapped his finger idly on the desk while h thought, staring at the tape. The one who had recorded the tape had seemed extremely angry, going to so far as to threaten Kira.

There was no talk of compromising, such as one like L had would have done- it was a definite threat, almost a thirst for vengeance. Light stopped his tapping and his brows furrowed as he thought about Ryuk's words when he had last spoke to the Shinigami.

_…The guy who does have the Eyes? He's real close to L. Like, his brother or lover or something. I'd watch my back, Light, 'cause I'm pretty sure he's gonna be coming for you…_

_We're coming for you._

The one with the Eyes was the new L.

Light bolted up in shock at the realization. The closeness that Ryuk spoke of explained why L's friend or lover- he frowned as the thought made him suddenly angry for some inexplicable reason- was the new L, and he had the Eyes.

L knew the new L's name, the one with the Eyes. If he could get the name out of L…

It would all be over. If he could force L to give up the new L's name, he could kill the man- although he would regret the loss of the Eyes, it would be a small sacrifice to pay in order to stop the rebellion. And it would be stopped, if the new L suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack. Or he could control him to give himself up to Kira, at that point he would force the man to give up the names of the rest of the Task Force and then kill them.

The rebellion would be crushed, and the real L, imprisoned with no chance of escape, would have no choice but to join him and work with him.

Elated, the thought sending delightful tingles down his back, Light closed the Death Note and pushed his chair away, grinning as he did so.

He needed to see L.

* * *

L was drifting comfortably in a haze of drugs. His thigh wasn't throbbing and his head felt delightfully fuzzy, a welcome change from the constant sharpness of his mind. It was nice, so nice not to have to be plotting and thinking and going over minute details again and again because one mistake could cost him his team's lives.

It was an unwelcome intrusion when he heard the door open and shut through the haze his mind was in, and blearily, he opened his eyes, blinking them a few times. Kira's figure came into focus, although it was blurry. He appeared to be smirking, his amber eyes glinting with a disturbing gleefulness and the look sent a tingle of unease down L's spine.

He cleared his throat, forcing himself to focus, to push through the daze that the drugs had induced. "I'm afraid if you want to interrogate me, I will to be very forthcoming. The kind doctor was good enough to dose me with painkillers, and as they were administered to me while I'm operating on an empty stomach, they went straight to my head," L said groggily.

Kira shook his head, chuckling darkly. "That won't be necessary. I've just come to share a bit of friendly information- and ask you perhaps one question," Kira said smoothly, in a voice that L distrusted, even with his mind made fuzzy by drugs. He had enough presence of mind to discern that Kira was not someone he could trust, under any circumstance.

"What information is this?" L asked, blinking as he tried to clear his vision, to no avail. Kira remained a blurry figure in his sight.

"Just that the man with the Eyes is operating as the new L," Kira stated, before tossing what appeared to e a piece of paper onto the bed, it fluttering down to rest on L's blanket-covered chest. L eyes it before weakly lifting a hand to grasp it and hold it up so that he could better see it. The words were blurry to him, but by squinting, he was able to make out the words.

_Greetings to Kira, from L…_

L's hands clenched around the paper for a moment before they relaxed, the paper slipping from his loosened fingers and falling to his chest. L closed his eyes, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

Beyond…

The message was a double entendre, two simple messages contained within one simple sentence that was addressed to both him and Kira. To Kira, it served as a way of telling Kira that the Task Force was not going to give up. To L… it was Beyond telling him that he had honored L's wishes and was operating as the new L, as he had wanted.

And that he was working to free L.

This new knowledge caused L's heart to flutter almost painfully, buoyed by the hope of seeing his beloved brother, hopefully sometime soon.

But Kira's words… they brought him back to the moment, and quickly schooling his features to rid himself of the almost smile, l wearily looked back up at Kira. "And you're sure it came from L, and not just some prankster looking for attention?" The fact that Kira knew that it was Beyond that was the new L… that wasn't good. Kira would only double his efforts to catch him.

And if Beyond was captured… it would all be over. There was no one else that could effectively act as L- Mello and Near were definitely out. As smart as they were, choosing one over the other would only cause the rejected to sow dissent among the group, and the Task Force was only effective if it operated as a whole, stable, working unit. His choosing of Beyond to be the new L was a risky move- he had been counting on the Task Force's respect of Beyond's skills to let them be able to overlook his bloody past. Although Mello… his blatant dislike of Beyond was problematic, but that was only one member. And Mello, if shown that Beyond was a trustworthy leader, would eventually come to accept Beyond. It might not be willingly, but out of necessity, he would do it.

But Kira must not catch Beyond. There wasn't much he could do to help Beyond stay out of Kira's hands, but perhaps… if he could somehow convince Kira that his information was wrong or something of that nature… maybe he could buy Beyond some time to work with his inside agent here in Kira's mansion and break him out.

So, he'd try his damndnest to throw Kira off of Beyond's trail.

Kira looked down at him, quirking an eyebrow. "I highly doubt that it's a prankster, L. My guards have reported an individual sneaking in here, dropping off a package that the note was attached to, and then evading my guards with a skill that only someone of the Task Force's caliber possesses. And then, he disappeared into the crowds- if it was a prankster, he would have been caught. The fact that he was able to escape from my highly-trained guards is evidence that it was one of your group, L. And, that brings me to my next point." Kira leaned back, crossing his arms.

"There was also a box, containing a tape- the same type that you always sent me, L. The voice recorded on the tape used _your_ voice-scrambler, L. You are the only one who has that certain type of scrambler, although the person who used it was obviously not you. But I could discern that it was the new L- the recording threatened me, and I could detect anger in the voice- anger at me for capturing you, and he also vowed to get you back, L.

Only the Task Force and certain guards know of your capture, L. It couldn't be some random prankster that wanted attention- the public does not possess the information needed to make that tape. And that it came right after your capture is even more evidence that it was sent by the new L." Kira smirked, narrowing his eyes triumphantly. "You see, L, it's useless to try to throw me off track. I'm not stupid, and it's insulting to try to play such mind games with me."

L only glanced down, attempting to hide his wince. Damn Kira…

But another thing made him furrow his brows, and he looked up. "How do you know that my successor is the one with the Eyes? Seems like you're just speculating. There's no possible way that you could know for certain who the new L is," L said confidently.

"Oh, but there is," Kira said smugly. "My Shinigami has informed me-"

"Shinigami?!" L gasped, sitting up, paying no notice as the heart monitors' beeping sped up, a faint beeping sounding to alert the doctor.

Gods of Death….

They were real?!

* * *

Beyond slipped the headset off, tossing onto the bed and then relaxed back, brows creased thoughtfully. He nibbled on his lip in contemplation, thinking over what his contact had planned.

It was a simple plan, but was made complex by the necessities. Timing for this plan was crucial- one slip up, one mistake, and everything would crumble to hell around him.

One mistake, and any chance of ever freeing L, seeing his twin again, would be lost.

And he would _not_ allow for that.

Looking up, he met Near's eyes and nodded once. "He has a plan," Beyond told Near, a determined glint sparking in his crimson eyes. "And it will work. He's no simpleton- but then again, L always was able to accurately judge a person's intelligence," Beyond said, a twinge in his heart as he was reminded of his brother.

Near nodded. "I know, B. We'll get him back."

"Yes. And Kira…" Beyond grinned, a sadistic twist of his lips. "Kira will rue the day he ever thought to capture L. Watari!" he called, and the older man appeared in the room, face stoic as always. "Get everyone to the main room again. We have a plan to break L out- and I will have their full cooperation with me on this."

Watari nodded and silently left the room, and Beyond threw the covers back, Near watching with an exasperated glint in his charcoal-black eyes. "This is becoming redundant," Near muttered, nevertheless rising to his feet. He reached Beyond's side and slung a lanky arm over his shoulder, bracing Beyond's thin body with his own.

Beyond huffed, staggering a bit, before righting himself and with Near's help, took the first few steps towards the door. "This is fucking humiliating," Beyond muttered, and Near snorted as they reached the door and he pulled it open.

"Serves you right for not resting like Watari told you to. If you keep this up, your stitches will only continue to rip and tear, slowing your body's healing progress," Near stated. "If you would rest and let your body heal as Watari keeps urging you to do, you would not have to be dependent on me for moving around."

Beyond didn't say anything more, just hobbled through the door and with Near's help, made his way down the corridor, wincing every once in a while as he lost his balance and the motion tugged painfully on his stitches.

They reached the main room, and Near helped Beyond into his chair before going to sit in his own, next to Mello's.

Beyond breathed a sigh of relief as he settled into his chair, his tired muscles aching and his side throbbing. He made a mental note to never get shot again- it hurt like a bitch, during and afterwards.

"Alright," Beyond sighed, sitting back and glancing at the assembled Task Force members, "We have a definite plan to break L out. To save me the time of explaining it to you, my contact has agreed to be put on speaker so that he may converse with us better. L's life hinges on this plan- so you all better fucking listen, because if you screw this up and end up preventing me from getting L back, I will personally kill the person at fault," Beyond said in a hard tone, narrowing his crimson eyes and locking eyes with each person separately.

Once satisfied that they had acknowledged his threat, Beyond nodded and waved Watari forwards, who placed a black speaker with a built-in microphone onto the middle of the round table. "I must ask that you all put on your voice-scramblers," Watari said, walk-in around the table and handing everyone a headset. "These are wirelessly connected to the microphone on the speaker, so that you may speak without worry of not being heard."

Once everyone had their headset on, Watari walked around to the speaker, and switched it on.

"You're live," Beyond said, adjusting his own headset, and the male voice that Beyond had conversed with earlier issued from the speaker.

"Hello, all of the Kira Task Force members. For obvious reason, I shall not disclose my name, but for now.. you may address me as 'M'."


	11. Plans to Free a Detective

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

"Alright, M," Beyond acknowledged. "Earlier, you told me of the plan that you have to break L free. However, you also said that you had sent someone to assess L's current situation so you could tie up the little details. You mentioned that he was heading up as we spoke- have you sorted everything out?" Beyond questioned, trying to keep the urgency out of his voice. He was anxious to know the soonest date that they could free L.

"Yes, I have- his information was most useful. L is currently in the infirmary," M said. "The last I heard, his room in the infirmary is under heavy surveillance from the outside- only Kira and the doctor assigned to L can enter and leave. From what I hear, as soon as L is cleared, he is to be escorted to a special holding cell on the Security Team's level- I have access to the blueprints. I've emailed them to you using the secure line Watari gave me access to. If you could have him pull up the blueprints, I can explain better."

M fell silent and Beyond looked over to Watari and nodded, gesturing to the table. Watari retrieved his laptop and turned it on, pulling up the email sent from M. He placed the laptop on the table, turning it so that most of those sitting could see it and a set of blueprints filled the screen.

"Ah, thank you, Watari," M said, coming back. "You see here- these are the true blueprints to Kira's mansion. I know that L was tripped up because Kira used fake blueprints to capture L- I've made sure that these are, in fact, the real blueprints. So, if you would watch carefully," M continued, the blueprints swiveling and zooming in onto what was marked as the very last floor, "This is the actual floor of the Security Team. I have it on good authority that an extra room is to be added here," a red dot appeared on the blueprints, on an empty space off to the side. "L's cell will be right here. I've been told that it is almost all of the way built- Kira pays well for speed and good quality. As soon as L is cleared to be moved, he will be transferred to this cell and put under the care of Mikami Teru."

"Mikami?!" Beyond exclaimed, sitting up and ignoring the pain in his side. "What the fuck is Kira thinking?! Mikami despises L! He'd kill L, if Kira didn't want him alive!"

"I know," M said patiently. "But we have some time. I've been told that L almost died during surgery to remove the bullet- it shifted while L was being escorted back to Kira and it ruptured the femoral artery. Luckily, they were able to stitch everything up and stabilize L, but it will be some time before he's able to be moved- I've heard that he's been doped up on drugs since the first time Kira went to visit him."

"Kira went to visit L? Is he alright?! Did Kira do anything to L?!" Beyond shot off the questions hard and fast, wanting answers. If Kira had done anything to L to extract information…

"As far as I know, L is fine- heavily drugged on painkillers and not the brightest lightbulb in the box, but fine physically, nonetheless. Kira needs him for information- he won't damage L too badly, as it could potentially interfere with L's ability to give that same information."

"That's so… heartless," Matsuda whispered, staring at the screen incredulously.

"Kira is ruthless when dealing with those who would oppose him. When I heard that L had been captured, I knew it was only a matter of time before the new L contacted me. We don't have a whole lot of time- as soon as L is well enough, Kira will begin L's interrogation. Depending on what L gives out- if anything- the methods Kira will use to extract this information will vary."

"Bastard!" Beyond hissed, gripping the arms of his chair tightly and glaring at the screen. "I swear to God- and not Kira- if he so much as harms a single fucking hair on his head…"Beyond trailed off, too angry to continue.

"Rest assured- I highly doubt that Kira will resort to harming L to get information. Doing so would be admitting his inferiority to L, in the fact that he couldn't get the information out of L by using his brain. Don't you see? For Kira, it has always been about matching wits with L. He hated the rebellion, yes, but he also loved the thrill of being truly challenged mentally for the first time. To Kira, L was the thing that he had desired most- something utterly unobtainable, because of his sheer, unmatched intelligence. L became a subconscious object of obsession for Kira- he just never realized it, because he was too worried over actually capturing L.

"But now that he has L within his grasp, the worry and stress that was blocking the obsession from coming out has dissipated, allowing his obsession with L to come to the front. Kira will not rest until he has gotten everything he wants from L- the information he possess, and his obedience and free will.

This is what I know will happen, if L is not set free. This is what will happen if Kira pushes L to give in, and L does."

The Task Force sat speechless, staring at the silent computer.

"That…sicko…" Mello growled, the first to break the silence. "That is one messed-up motherfucker."

Beyond nodded silently in agreement, his heart pounding in shock and terror as he contemplated the fate M had laid out for his twin. If Kira actually was able to force L to give in…

No!

"Enough speculating, M," Beyond said harshly, leaning forwards to fix his red eyes directly onto the computer. "Let's not pussyfoot around the issue. I've told you before, I will do whatever it takes to free L from Kira. Now, you had a plan- tell it to us, so that we can make arrangements."

"I will gladly do that, L," M said, and being called 'L' sent a wave of wrongness and disgust down his spine. It was his title now, but… L was L! He was not L- he would never aspire to be L, and it felt so wrong to be called by his brother's title. Nonetheless, he held back his feelings of disgust and listened intently to what M had to say.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that you will have to wait a total of eight days before enacting the plan. But-" M continued, ignoring Beyond's strangled cry of outrage, "you would've had to wait anyway. L is not going to be moved for another week, when he will be cleared. And then, security will be extremely high that first night, so you would not be able to risk anything. Kira will be expecting something from the Task Force. As suspicious and paranoid as he is, he won't be able to help _but_ be suspicious. And you- and I- need time to put everything into order and get everything set up. Have patience, L. And now, listen to my plan…"

Beyond pushed away his despair at the wait time to lean in along with the other members of the Task Force to listen closely to what M had to say, mentally planning out what he'd need and what he'd have to do while M explained.

At the end, Beyond leaned back and nodded, stating his fingers together absentmindedly. Although it stung to admit… Beyond did need time to acquire the necessary items and get everything set up to break L free. "I… see," Beyond said slowly. "I understand. The waiting is necessary in order to have everything work out. But you have concocted a most brilliant plan, M. Kira will never know what happened."

There was a light-hearted chuckle from M, and he said, "Yes, Light will be totally clueless."

Beyond blinked, hearing M address Kira as "Light."

Only close confidants of Kira called him that- not even Mikami Teru, Kira's faithful dog, called Kira "Light." His eyes narrowing, Beyond addressed M once more. "M. You've just called Kira by his given name. Only those extremely close to him do that- no one else dared to call him by that name, not even his most faithful followers."

"How close are you to Kira? Who are you?" Beyond demanded.

There was silence from the laptop for a split second, before M replied. "I've let my slip of the tongue give away too much already," M said, a slight undercurrent of anger- most likely at themselves- and panic lacing the voice. "Just have everything ready, and I'll contact you when I have more information. Until next time, L."

"No, wait!" Beyond exclaimed, reaching out instinctively towards the computer to prevent M from leaving, but the laptop's screen went black and silent.

M was gone.

* * *

L stared at Kira, heart threatening to seize at any moment.

Shinigami.

Death Gods.

They…existed?

No, they…they couldn't! Beyond would have told him if they had! He would have been able to see them with his Eyes! And he… he never left L in the dark. Never…

"You've not heard of the existence of Shinigami? That is most odd… I thought that your man with the Eyes would have told you of them… I've heard that you two are quite close- I doubt that he would have kept anything from you," Kira said, a taunting lilt in his voice.

L froze, eyes flickering up to glare at Kira from under his bangs.

No.

_No._

No matter what, Kira _must not _suspect that he and Beyond were close. He could use that against Beyond, force him to give up. Beyond would do anything for him, just as he would do anything for Beyond- he would do anything to come and get him at the slightest hint that Kira was doing anything to him.

"Your source must be wrong, Kira," L snapped, brain finally clearing from its haze in his panic to divert Kira's thoughts from his bond with Beyond. "I suspect that you are just speculating- there is no absolute way to tell what sort of bond I share with the man with the Eyes."

Kira chuckled darkly, crossing his arms. "Oh, but L, you forget- my source is the Shinigami. He's went to your headquarters, I suspect- damned Shinigami won't tell me where it is, but he's met the man with the Eyes. And he's astute enough to ascertain that you and he are very close. Tell me, L- is he your brother or lover?"

L stared at Kira, heart thudding for a few moments, before his eyes narrowed into venomous slits. "Go to hell, Kira," L hissed. "I won't let you get your hands on him- nor any other member of my team." With that, he yanked the sensor on his finger off, causing the machine to start a high-pitched beeping, alerting the doctor that something was wrong.

Kira stepped back, unfolding his arms to glare at L. "You little fucker," he breathed. "Leading the doctor into barring me from this room won't do you any good later."

L grinned darkly. "Maybe not, but it will rid me of your repulsive presence, Kira."

"We'll see about that," Kira said, before turning on his heel and starting towards the door, almost bumping into the doctor on the way.

The doctor's eyes narrowed behind his thick glasses and he leveled a glare at Kira. "Kira-sama, I _said_-" the doctor started, but was cut off.

"He's fine," Kira snarled, pushing past the doctor. "The little shit pulled the finger-sensor. Get him healed as soon as possible- I need information and he's useless, stagnating here." With that, Kira swept out of the room in an angry huff, leaving the doctor and L behind.

* * *

Light angrily made his way up to his quarters, dropping into his chair once he got to his room and crossing his arms, glaring at the desk while he thought.

Even doped up, L was still stubborn as hell.

And…clever, Light had to concede. Pulling the finger-sensor trick to get the doctor in there… L had a very good memory, even when under stress and in pain. He knew that the doctor had threatened to bar him from the room if he was called to the room again.

Smart little bastard.

Leaning back, Light let out a sigh and propped his feet up on the desk, crossing his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling in contemplation.

L, L, L. The man occupied his thoughts, day and night. It was getting annoying, this unwanted obsession with his enemy. But… at the same time, Light could allow this fascination with the captivating man. L was the first one to have ever challenged him and even before, when L had made him want to pull out his hair and scream in frustration, Light had delighted in the thrill of matching minds with such a brilliant criminal.

And now, even when L was caught, he still served to fascinate. Even when L was trapped and helpless under his thumb, he still served to make Light angry, made him think and wonder what the mind behind the alluring black eyes and lovely face was plotting. For L had to be plotting something- he knew enough of the man to know that he had to have had something planned in case he was captured.

The tape that the new L had sent was proof of that. L had a plan to break himself out, and Light needed to know what it was. But, it involved the man with the Eyes, he was positive. L's reaction in the infirmary had confirmed that he and the man with the Eyes were close.

Unless… L frowned as a new thought popped in his mind.

What if L was faking his response and the undercurrent of the message to throw him off, somehow?

Though Light could see no purpose in this, he had to consider all the possibilities. But, what if he wasn't?

Light let a soft growl of frustration slip from his mouth. This whole damned thing was becoming so complicated- he had thought that after L was captured, the Task Force would crumble. But instead, it only seemed to strengthen their resolve and make them angry.

He reached up to rub his temples as he thought, trying to figure out a plan of action.

He needed the man with the Eyes; the new L. That much was certain. That was what he needed; get the new L, and that would force the rebellion to crumble. But how to do it?

He was reluctant to hurt L, to torture him for information. For all that he had it done to other criminals with little remorse, those criminals had been different. They had been lowlifes, filth and dirt of the worst sort- murderers, robbers, and rapists.

But this... this was L. This was his brilliant rival and the thought of having to resort to petty torture repulsed him- the thought of Ls' delicate white face and large, obsidian eyes screwed up in pain sent ripples of disgust over him, and Light pushed the thought of torture away, reserving it for a last resort if any of his other plans he might manage to concoct went to hell. Light was not a naturally cruel person, and the thought of causing someone like L- the man he had once so looked up to and admired, and had aspired to be like- ungodly amounts of pain was repulsing to Light.

Besides, resorting to torturing L for information was as good as admitting that he had not been intelligent nor clever enough to manipulate L into telling Light the information he wanted. It was practically admitting defeat. And Light never, ever, conceded defeat, especially not to a being like L.

Yet… it was, unfortunately, a method he might have to resort to if L proved to be a consistently stubborn bastard. And he was indeed proving himself to be one.

Not liking the path his thoughts were going down, Light shoved the thought of torture to the corner of his mind, to be contemplated only under the direst and neediest of circumstances.

Instead, he focused on the man with the Eyes, trying to figure out some way to get to him. He had L, and if the two were as close as Ryuk claimed, then perhaps he could lure the man out using L as bait. But, there were numerous things wrong with that plan.

Ryuk could just be fucking with him for his own amusement- L had vehemently denied any claims to sharing a close bond with the new L, but L could be playing him for a fool as well. Either Ryuk or L was lying and it frustrated him that he didn't know which. And he would not hinge any plans on the two untrustworthy sources.

But, perhaps… he could get the name out of L another way.

Light grinned and sat up as an idea came to him, one that might work very well, indeed.

He had wanted L to join him; he still wanted the brilliant, fascinating man to join him, in fact, and if everything turned out perfectly…

He would wait for L to heal- and then, on the day that it came time to move him, he'd do it personally, himself. He'd be extremely kind- Light knew he could be exceedingly charming when he wanted to be and had worked to perfect that charm to utilize it to the fullest as Kira. Someone as brilliant as L would most likely see through it- Light would lose some of the utter respect he held for L if he wasn't able to detect something suspicious.

But Light would give him no reason to doubt him- and then, after L was in the cell for a while, only being cared for by Mikami, Light would come for L. He would be kind, gentle, and charming, offering a reprieve from the utter boredom and sensory deprivation L would suffer from in that little cell. And he would continue this, until L trusted him-and then, he would drug L's food- just enough to get L talking and make him give up the new L's name.

And once he had the name, he could go public with it, threatening to kill the man unless he gave up.

No doubt the man would give up- his life was not worth defying Kira just to be spiteful- and then, he'd have both L and the man with the Eyes on his side. They would both be reluctant at first, Light knew, but eventually, they would warm up to his vision and come to see things as he did. With L's ingeniousness and the man's Shinigami Eyes, and Light as Kira-God- and handing out judgment on criminals with his Death Note, it would be perfect.

Once he had both men in the palm of his hand, his world would only then be a perfect utopia. With L and the new L on his side, there would be no more rebellion, and Light could then have his dream become a perfect reality.

* * *

L looked down, fisting his hands in the sheets as he tried to think.

This was bad.

Very fucking bad. Shinigami…. They did exist. Kira wouldn't lie about something like that.

That meant that Beyond had to know about them. But why hadn't he told L…?

It didn't make any sense. The only thing he could think of was that Beyond hadn't told him because he wanted to protect him somehow. But how would hiding the existence of Death Gods protect L?

A sudden shaking of his shoulder brought L out of his thoughts and he looked up at the doctor questioningly. "Are you alright?" He asked L. "Kira… he did not do anything, did he?"

L smiled briefly, shaking his head. "No. I'm fine. I simply found that I desired to rid myself of his company, so I pulled the sensor off of my finger."

The doctor smiled, his eyes crinkling up at the corners and showing off a set of deep crow's feet. "Heh. I see," he nodded, and bent to retrieve the sensor that was dangling off the edge of the bed, hanging on by a cord. "Still, let's get you hooked back up."

L allowed the doctor to reattach the sensor and then wiggled his fingers around, getting used to the weight of the sensor once more. "Doctor… How much longer before I'm cleared?" L asked quietly, shifting his thigh and wincing at the twinge of pain.

The doctor paused and sighed, rubbing his glasses on his shirt. "At least another week. We've been giving you hormones and enzymes- they help the muscle and skin cells multiply and repair themselves much faster, so it won't take as long as it would for you to heal normally. And judging by the tests we've been running… yes. A week is the most I can give you. I'm sorry," the doctor said regretfully.

L sighed, waving his hand. "No… it's fine, I-" L froze for a moment as a feeling of terror unbidden and unprovoked swept through him, his eyes widening at the feeling.

Beyond. The feeling must have come from Beyond. Panic overtook L momentarily as images of what could have happened to his brother flashed through his mind, and he brought a hand up over his heart in an attempt to calm it and banish the terror.

No. Beyond was okay. Kira could not have found him- he had given no sign that he had. Beyond was safe, no matter what the feeling was. Beyond had to be safe- God, please let Beyond be safe.

"But," The doctor continued, before stopping and regarding L concernedly when he saw the wide black eyes, stark face, and the hand clenched over L's heart.

The doctor, assuming L was contemplating what could potentially happen after that week was up and L was cleared and released, placed a hand on L's shoulder, attempting to soothe him through the firm touch and forcing the black-haired man to look at him. "L… I wouldn't worry too much."

"Why is that?" L asked, curious at the doctor's words and desperate to distract him from the feeling of terror from Beyond that had swept over his body so suddenly. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself and forced his attention onto the doctor and off of the feeling in his heart, reluctant to think about it.

The doctor took off his glasses, and stared L straight in the eye, leaning in closer to L. The proximity allowed L to see the faint spark glinting in the old doctor's eyes, and a sheen of utmost sincerity and honest belief in them.

"Because she's going to get you out."


	12. To the Cell

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

"Which one is it? Is it here?" Matt poked around at the ceiling of the sewers, balancing precariously on the extendable ladder that had been thrust into his hands before he had been shoved out the entrance into the sewers with Mello.

"I'm not sure… the blueprints say… here," Mello said, squinting up at the ceiling and gesturing at a spot about a foot to the left of Matt.

"No, that can't be right- it's over too far," Matt argued, readjusting his goggles that were slipping from the awkward angle his head was at.

"You want to read the blueprints? Be my guest- you're not the one who has L's freedom resting on his shoulders," Mello snapped, clenching the blueprints tighter in his hands in frustration.

"My God, you're so immature- fuck, I miss my computers…" Matt sighed, running a hand over his face. "It's too bad L wasn't here- then, he and B could be here doing this shit, rather than Beyond going all commando-leader on us and Watari fucking kicking me off the computers and taking my spot because he's afraid you'd eat Near alive if it were just you two- and don't even get me started on what would happen if it were just you and B."

"Shut it," Mello said angrily, shaking his head and resuming his perusal of the blueprints. "Just… let me think. This isn't my strong point- B and L usually handled this stuff. Hate to say it, but… right now, I think that B's help would be useful," Mello admitted grudgingly, glaring at the blueprints. His expertise laid in guns and extraction- not this delicate work of setting machinery and reading blueprints.

Not to say that he _couldn't_ do it, just that it wasn't his preferred field.

Matt, shocked, looked down at Mello, before he gave a small smile. "Mello… B's not a bad guy, you know. I know that there's been some friction between you two, but… B would never have done anything to deliberately hurt L. You saw the way he reacted when they got back- and didn't you hear him before? It's obvious he misses L, Mello."

"I know, Matt," Mello hissed. "But he still left L behind…"

"He didn't have a choice."

"That's what he says, but how the hell do you know?"

"Because I was listening in on L's earpiece," Matt said quietly, looking down and meeting Mello's eyes. "L was cut off before he could shut his earpiece off. I could hear everything from his side."

"What do you mean?"

"L threatened to shoot himself if B didn't go; that's how desperate L was for B to leave. But, B called L's bluff; he knew that L wouldn't shoot himself, because it would mean that B would be hurt in the process and L couldn't stand that. So he threatened to shoot Matsuda unless he took B and returned to base with him. Matsuda had no choice; he took B and left."

Mello glared down at the blueprints, no longer seeing them. "That doesn't excuse B's inability to prevent L from getting shot," Mello growled.

"Mells; they were under heavy gunfire from Mikami and his men. Only a full-body suit would have prevented L from getting shot. And B… he's been under enough stress. He's L's twin, for God's sake. They're brothers; don't you think that that would make B care at least a _little_ for him?" Matt said, desperately trying to make Mello see reason. The blonde's stubbornness when it came to B could be so infuriating, and Matt wanted to shake Mello of his blindness.

Mello was silent, before he sighed, his shoulders slumping. His eyes were focused fixedly at a point on the ground as he said quietly, "L's always been so fixated on his own brother; I just… I wanted for L to take notice of me, too."

"He does; Mello, God, if it wasn't for B being his brother, you and Near would have taken over as L. He does care about. It's just… B was his twin, so B came first. I'm sorry to say this, but you're always gonna be second, Mells. Nothing you do is ever going to change that. B and L… they're twins; they're in a different category, a world all their own."

"Whatever," Mello said harshly, looking up. "Let's get this goddamned hole set."

"Right." Matt knew from previous experiences that it was best to shut up and let Mello digest what he had said; the blonde was thick-skulled, and it would take a few days for Matt's words to truly sink in. "You said here?"

Mello nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Here." He transferred the blueprints to his other hand and reached down to pull a circular device out of the black bag at his feet. It had the appearance of a large, thick hockey puck with a handle on it. Mello handed it up to Matt, who pressed it against the spot that Mello had indicated and pressed a button on the side.

There was a small puff of smoke and a click, and then the device latched onto the ceiling of the sewers, held firmly in place by the circular saw located within its depths.

Mat grinned and let it go, admiring his handiwork as he leant back and readjusted his cigarette. "Alright. Not too bad for a hacker who's never done this sort of shit before, right, Mells?"

Mello only rolled his hand and tossed Matt a large compass, the redhead almost falling off the ladder as he scrambled to catch the device. "You'd think that you just re-created the fucking Mona-Lisa, with how proud you are. For God's sake, you just clicked a button."

"But," Mat said, pausing to wink down at Mello, "it was a fucking awesome click."

"Shut up, idiot. That compass needs to be two feet in radius-here's a pencil," Mello said, tossing it up at Matt as well."

"Right." He adjusted the compass and inserted the pencil into the device, placing the pencil right near the saw and quickly drew a circle, before tossing it back down at Mello and getting the saw's track thrown back at him.

The track was made of two strips of pliable metal. When the beginning was placed at the saw and bent to the desired shape, all one had to do was turn the saw on and it would cut along the track, self-propelled and creating cuts of perfect precision and accuracy.

It was something Wedy had used in her thieving days, and along with numerous other useful gadgets, was one of the things that she had described in detail to them, allowing them to be re-created. Wedy was a very useful addition to the team; L's instincts had not led him wrong on that fact, and she would be of much help in the upcoming heist to free L.

Matt quickly set the track, following the pencil line made by the compass. Then, he leaned back, eyeing it with a critical gaze before he smiled and climbed back down the ladder, starting to collapse it once more. "There. It's set. Now, on the day of the break-out, all we have to do is click that little bugger on, and boom! Hole in under a minute."

"Yeah." Mello glanced back up at the saw before turning away, banishing thoughts of the man contained in the upper levels, above the sewers. "Let's get back to base. I heard Halle was making double chocolate-chip cookies."

"Right on! Matt grinned, tucking the ladder under his arm as Mello grabbed the bag. "And maybe after, we can corner Near for a few minutes; little fucker's been spending a lot of time with B lately. Hasn't spared much time for us."

* * *

L looked up warily as the door to his room opened, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he saw who was coming through the door.

Kira and Mikami.

But why?

The doctor came in right after them, glancing meaningfully at L once before he moved to his side and began sliding the thin blanket down L's body in order to check his thigh. The nurse that followed the doctor everywhere grasped L's wrist gently and held palm up, starting to untape the IV from his arm. She disposed of the wrappings and tugged the needle out, disposing of that as well.

The nurse placed a piece of cotton onto his arm and wrapped the crook of his arm in gauze to prevent any bacteria from entering the small hole in his arm.

"Hello, L," Kira said, a small smile on his face. There was no hostility or slyness present in Kira's voice, which instantly made L's suspicion increase. This change was unsettling. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before," L replied, eyeing the two men warily, before it clicked.

They were here to move him. "I suppose that you've come to move me to a more permanent place of holding?" L asked, knowing that this was the cause of the two men's visit and yet still wanting to confirm it.

"Very astute, L." Kira turned away from him and to the doctor, folding his arms. "Is he healed enough to be moved?"

The doctor shrugged noncommittally, folding the blanket off to the side and tugged the hem of L's hospital gown up just enough so that his wrapped thigh was exposed. "It depends on how well his muscle is functioning; he had a close call, and the bullet damaged important muscle. The tests that we ran yesterday on the density of the muscle and its flexibility showed it was almost fully healed, but he hasn't used the muscle in over a week. It's liable to be extremely weak."

The doctor proceeded to unwrap the gauze around L's high as he spoke, but paused and looked up at Kira. "Of course, it may make all of those involved more comfortable if you were to leave and give us some privacy…" the doctor hinted, but Kira shook his head.

"I wish to see for myself, so that I know exactly what is going on," Kira said determinedly, giving the doctor a meaningful look.

_I know you sympathize with him._

The doctor stiffened but shrugged Kira's words off and finished unwrapping the gauze. "As you wish."

He handed the gauze off to the nurse to dispose of and then shifted L's thigh to expose it to better light. L looked down at it as the doctor examined it, curious to see how it had progressed in its healing.

He had to admit, it was a lot better than the last time he had seen it, when he was being taken to Kira's mansion. It had been a bloody, gaping hole then, ragged at the edges and leaking blood continuously. Now, it was a pinkened scar, a little red around the edges and the skin around it bruised, but it was better than before. He reached down to brush the tips of his fingers, unable to help the shiver than ran through his leg at the tough; the nerves had not fully healed yet, and it was still extremely sensitive.

"Fascinating," he breathed, examining the scar with interest. "You obviously have very advanced healing technologies. I admit, since going underground, we've not focused on medical advances, but instead technology that would help us further our… mission…" L murmured, glancing up reflectively at Kira to see if his talk of the Task Force had inspired any anger within the man.

Instead, he stopped, shocked to see that Kira was not staring at him, but instead his light amber eyes were fixed firmly upon his thighs. An odd light was burning within the slanted eyes, and unsure of what it was, L shifted uncomfortably, admittedly confused. Not even Beyond had looked at him that way, and Beyond was so expressive, he thought he had seen every emotion to be seen within his twin's red eyes.

Still, it was intriguing, this new expression, and L's brows furrowed, unknowingly staring at Kira in curiosity.

"Doctor." Mikami's harsh voice snapped out the word, causing L to look up, surprised to see anger present in Mikami's face. He supposed that Kira's Second-in-Command wasn't happy about being here, but the way he was looking at Kira was odd… almost as if he were…jealous?

No- the thought was ridiculous.

"Is L able to be moved?" Mikami bit out, shooting a glare at L.

Reluctantly, the doctor nodded, pressing firmly against L's high. He was relieved when it gave off only the slightest ache, instead of the deep paint hat had been present a week ago. "He'll need to be supported, as he'll be weak, but… he's able to be moved."

"Excellent." Mikami turned to the door, raising his hand to wave his guards in. "My guards will escort him out-"

"No." Kira stopped Mikami, finally looking up. His eyes met L's and he was momentarily taken aback at the intensity Kira's eyes directed at him. "I'll take care of it, Mikami. No need to have your guards involved. I doubt L could do much in the state he's in," a small smile tilting the side of Kira's lips up.

L stiffened at the words; they were true, but damn it, Kira didn't need to call attention to his weakened state! "Actually, I think I'd prefer the guards," L interjected, glaring at Kira, who sighed and shook his head before crossing the room to L.

He leaned down, flicking his eyes once at Mikami, and then back to L. He leaned forwards, putting his mouth at L's ear, and L resisted shuddering as warm breath that was oddly not repulsive washed over his ear, warming his neck. What the hell…?

"Choosing to allow me to help would be more intelligent on your part, L," Kira breathed, making L's breath hitch unwantedly as Kira's lips brushed over the shell of his outer ear. It was disturbing, how soft a killer's lips were, when nothing but lies, gloating words and orders to kill were issued from them. It seemed wrong, somehow. "Mikami will no doubt not be as gentle with you as I will be."

L's eyes narrowed at the veiled threat; choose Kira's help, or be rough handled by Mikami and his guard dogs? Blackmail was dirty, but L supposed that Kira would stoop to any lengths to achieve what he wanted.

Although, it confused L. Why was Kira so damned insistent to be the one to help him…? It was something that didn't make sense, and naturally, it made L suspicious- as well as Kira's sudden mood change. He seemed more polite, more refined today than a few days ago when he had last seen him and Kira had stormed out furiously.

The only reason L could think of for Kira to want to be the one to help him to his new cell was as a show of power; God prevailing over his weakened rival. He mentally snorted; as dramatic as Kira was, this flair no doubt appealed to him.

Still, Kira's offer was more appealing than being close to Mikami, the man that had shot both him and his brother. Sighing, he shrugged, nodding.

Sometimes, to win the war, one had to lose a few battles, and it seemed that this would not be a battle L would win. "Alright, Kira," L said quietly, nodding shortly.

Light sucked in a breath as L gave his acquiescence, his short nod causing L's spikes of hair to brush against his cheek.

Soft. L's hair was extremely soft, and Light repressed the urge to run his hands through it and revel in he feeling.

"Good," Light whispered, smiling slightly. He grasped L's arm and drew it over his shoulders, before snaking an arm around L's waist, feeling the protruding hipbone and slight curve of his waist under the thin hospital gown.

It felt… nice, and Light firmly tamped down his sudden want to run a hand down L's side. "Lean on me, L," he told the criminal, and helped him shift his legs over the side and draw himself up.

He could see L's knees shake for a moment before they stopped, L's thin black brows furrowed in concentration as he forced himself not to show any weakness. Light couldn't help but admire it; he'd do the same to show as little weakness as possible.

L leaned bit more heavily on his and took a step, his face remaining carefully blank even as his injured thigh shook under the strain.

"Kira-sama." The doctor stepped in front of Kira, staring at the man firmly. "I strongly suggest that the patient be covered in something warmer than that gown. I don't want to see him in here with pneumonia or any other illness."

Irritation surged through him; as much as he respected the doctor, it was annoying to have him reprimand him as if he were a small child. He had not been planning on leaving L dressed as he was, no matter how much he had enjoyed the pale thighs exposed to his gaze earlier.

Clothes had been provided for L, and they were currently waiting in his new cell. "I am not as careless or cruel as you might think," Light said vehemently, shifting so that more of L's slight weight rested on him, without alerting the raven-haired man. "Warm, comfortable clothes are awaiting him in the new cell, as well as a meal, as I don't think he has eaten since this morning, which was quite a few hours ago. I understand your concern for the patient due to these circumstances, but I'm not as heartless as one would believe."

The doctor's eyes bored into his, scanning for any sign of dishonesty. What the doctor saw must have satisfied him, because he gave a single nod and stepped aside, allowing Light to pass.

Not waiting for another obstruction, Light stepped forwards carefully, allowing time for L to do so as well. In silence, they slowly made their way out the door, and Light's eyes narrowed in irritation as he saw numerous guards waiting outside the door. Did Mikami really think him so feeble that he could not defend against an invalid?

"You are dismissed," he told the guards coldly, and they saluted reverently before they left, filing out of the infirmary. "Really…" Light muttered, shaking his head. He tightened his grip on L's waist before he took a step, L following.

"You are being unordinarily kind, Kira."

L's quiet words were a sudden surprise, and Light looked down at L, before closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. "As I said before, I'm not-"

"As careless or cruel as one might think," L finished for him, cutting him off. "And yet, here I am, shot, being transferred to a cold, lonely cell while I can barely walk. I hardly think that counts as caring."

"What did you expect, L? A five-star hotel room and feather-pillow mattresses? You're still my prisoner, l. I just don't make it a habit to treat my prisoners with cruelty," Light sighed. "Although you have been a nuisance and annoyance for the past few years…. I find… I do respect you, L. You were the only one to have challenged me, and I admire that."

L was silent for a moment, before he spoke once more. "Well… service like that would have been preferable," he muttered, flicking his obsidian eyes up at Light, searching his face, before looking away once more. "Still… I suppose I should thank you for that unprecedented compliment. And… for helping me, though I don't see why you insisted on helping me."

Light chuckled lightly at this. L was quite entertaining. "Mikami dislikes you, for obvious reasons. I was afraid that the same treatment that he gave you after you were shot would be given to you once more if he were the one to help you."

"But _why?_" L asked, halting and jerking away from Light, turning to face him fully and stare directly into his eyes. Light was taken aback at the sudden movement, unable to look away as L's large, intent eyes stared into his. "You indirectly coerced me into accepting your help. _Why_ did you want to be the one to help me, Kira?"

"It's Light," he corrected automatically, seeing L's eyebrows raise and a flicker of confusion flit through L's eyes and face.

"What?"

_Fuck._ "Nothing," Light dismissed. "I suppose I wanted to help you… because I do sincerely admire you, and seeing Mikami treat you as he does…disturbs me. A rival of your intellect and standing should not have to go through the same treatment common criminals do."

"Common criminals? If a common robber were put in my position, are you insinuating that you would have allowed Mikami to have his gently way with him?" L questioned, his eyes hardening, a frown tugging at his lips.

Light crossed his arms, disliking the direction L's questioning was leading. "Most likely. They are just common criminals; they are not worth the time."

L scoffed at this, raising a hand to press it against his chest for emphasis as he spoke. Light's eyes followed Ls' hand closely, his eyes raking over L's form as he did so. "But _I'm _a common criminal, Kira. People are people, no matter their past. It's wrong to treat them like that just because they've done wrong. Even those on death row in the old world were treated better than that."

"That was the old world, L. Criminals were able to slip through the justice system and be released to wreak havoc in the world before Kira rose to power."

"But at least they were treated as human beings, Kira. You are treating them as the lowest sort of filth!" L's eyes sparked in anger as he spoke, his voice rising in volume. He wasn't yelling, but it was close.

Light, however, did yell. "Because they are! Criminals don't deserve to live!"

"You are a filthy hypocrite, Kira! You murder as well! How many hundreds of thousands of people have you killed?! And yet, you proclaim yourself a pure God, when you are no better than those you kill every day!" L shouted, his voice losing its monotonous tone, unable to suppress his anger. His eyes narrowed and he glared at Light, challenging him to look away, which Light absolutely refused to do.

It had turned into a battle of right and wrong, with differing morals, and Light refused to lose. L was wrong; he just couldn't make the former detective realize it.

Although, he admitted within the recesses of his own mind, it was exhilarating to challenge L like this, to see Ls' face lose its blankness and become suffused in anger, his large obsidian eyes sparking as they verbally fought. And L was truly lovely to behold when he was angry and emotional; so much more beautiful than when his face was blank and eyes devoid of emotion, and Light truly relished the sight as well as the mental stimulation.

Dimly, he registered that by doing this, his plan to lure L in with kindness was going to hell, but he didn't care. This was so much more exciting, and Light loved being able to match minds with his rival, the only one of his caliber.

"I pass divine judgment!" Light shouted back.

"It's _murder_! You murder every single day Kira! You commit the same crimes you judge the world for everyday! If you truly wanted to pass divine judgment on every criminal, then you should write your own name down in the notebook, for out of all the criminals to have walked the streets, you are the worst of them all!"

L's words rang in the halls, silence overtaking the space between Kira and L.

Light stared at his rival, panting with anger and eyes narrowed into infuriated slits. He took a step forwards, glaring into L's own angry, sparking eyes. "You know nothing," Light hissed, reaching out to grab L's chin and jerk his face upwards. "The world is peaceful and people are safer than they were under your so-called reign, L. I have accomplished what the Greatest Detective in the World could not; I have disposed of the criminals that you never took interest in. You call me a murderer, yet you fail to notice the hypocrisy in your words. How many lives did you slip through your fingers because you refused to take a case, as it didn't pique your interest? You refused so many cases; let so many people die because their pleas were ignored because their case was _too boring._ It wasn't boring to them, L. Their loved ones had died and you refused to do nothing. So don't talk to me of murder, L," Light said, his voice shaking with anger as he released L's chin roughly. "For out of both of us, you are the one that has killed more."

L looked at Light, eyes wide in shock, frozen.

A surge of righteous contentment went through Light; for so long, L had called him a murderer, and not thought about his own actions. It felt good to shock L speechless, and Light smiled in vicious triumph as indecision flickered in L's large, obsidian orbs.

Wordlessly, Light strode to L and picked him up, not wanting to take the time to help him hobble through the halls.

The former detective was silent as L made his way swiftly to L's cell, striding through the door and placing L on the ground, back against the wall, leaving him sitting up. He then stepped back, surveying the cell. It was small, but that was to be expected, and there was a ring attacked to the stone wall, where the chins restraining L would loop through.

Light was overall very pleased; he'd love to see the Task Force attempt to break L out of this cell. He had designed it to e nigh impenetrable. He looked down at L, whose head was lowered, eyes fixed on the ground.

He picked up the clothes set off to the side and dropped them in front of L, seeing him flinch as they landed with a thump in front of him. "Mikami is to be your caretaker from now on. Since you're healthy enough, your questioning will start tomorrow. To prevent any attempts of escape, you're to be chained to the wall when not being watched by Mikami or with me. Your clothes are there; you have ten minutes to change before Mikami comes with your restraints and meal."

L didn't acknowledge him and he said nothing more. He turned and left, closing the thick door after him.

* * *

Beyond readjusted his bandage, turning his back to Near in order for the white-haired youth to knot the gauze in the back.

"L was moved today," Beyond said quietly. "I could feel it." His hand reached down to brush over his right thigh. "It was aching for quite a bit, before it stopped."

"But that's good," Near said, tying off the gauze and setting the roll off to the side. "We can enact our plan now."

"Yes," Beyond sighed, reaching down grab his shirt and tug it on, shaking once so that it fell right. He ran a hand through his wild spikes and turned to the mirror, reaching up to press a hand against his reflection. "Everything is set; we're waiting on M now. This whole situation has left me tired, Near," Beyond admitted. The white-haired man had been a constant shadow at his side for the past week, helping him, and Beyond had slowly come to appreciate that.

He could never replace L, but they both knew that. For now, Near was a comforting presence, listening and helping Beyond with what he could.

He couldn't help Beyond with what he needed, though. He missed L's presence at his side- whether it be at night in bed, at their computers, working, sparring, eating, whatever Beyond did, he was constantly reminded of L's missing presence. It left a hole in his heart, and he desperately wanted L back.

He craved for it, more than anything in the world. He had never been separated from L for this long, and it hurt. A piece of his heart was missing, and faintly, Beyond wondered how L was faring.

L's well-being weighed on Beyond's mind day and night, occupying his nights and causing him to lose sleep as he thought, terrified, over what L was experiencing.

Staring at his reflection, his hands clenched as his eyes roved over his pale face, drawn and weary. A small smile tugged at his red lips. "They're becoming darker, thicker," Beyond whispered, referring to the circles under his eyes. "If this keeps up, it'll get harder to tell L and I apart."

"Except for your eyes," Near said, watching Beyond as well.

A twisted smile split his face, and he closed his eyes. "Yes. But that's good. For I'll need them to watch Light Yagami's lifespan run out as I slit his throat and watch the darkness spill out."


	13. Thwarted

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, do continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Silence pervaded the gear room as the team tugged their suits and gear on, a tangible undercurrent of apprehension and excitement lingering in the air.

Near helped Beyond get his own gear on, as it was hard for him to move around because of the stiffness that the wound in his side inflicted. There was no teasing, no excited chattering that had become the ritual when they prepared for past missions; the mission today was too serious for that.

If they failed, they lost their only chance of getting L back. And they all knew that couldn't happen; there was a disturbing glint in Beyond's eyes that promised not so good things to come if this got fucked up in any way.

So, due to the heavy atmosphere, only hushed whisperings and a sense of tension permeated the whole room. And it was a wholly odd situation. Those that usually didn't physically go on mission, but instead stayed and worked at base, had been given roles in the heist to break L out; Halle was at her rarely-used locker, changing, and Wedy was doing so as well, at her newly-acquired one.

It took little time for all of them to get ready, and when everyone was finished changing, Beyond gathered them in the middle of the room, Watari at his side. He was holding a box of black, rubber circles, with an initial given to each of the team's members in it, and Beyond gestured to them as he spoke. "Everyone needs an earpiece; it has a microphone and radio transmitter already built in, so you'll be able to converse with everyone else. You all know your jobs; M explained everything quite thoroughly. Converse in code names; we don't know if the proximity to Kira's operations will allow him to hear us. There's only one chance at this," Beyond said quietly, looking down before raising his eyes to meet everyone's separately, "so don't fuck this up. M will connect with us in 5 minutes. Listen to whatever he says. He already knows your code names, so there'll be no confusion."

Everyone nodded, and Beyond took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. "Good. The only thing left to do is go and get him back. Move out."

* * *

It was extremely boring here, in the cell. And uncomfortable, if he were to be honest.

The minutes and hours had dragged on since Kira had deposited him here in this lonely cell, and the only way to keep himself amused was to close his eyes and tick down the seconds and calculate how much time had passed from that. It helped keep his mind from breaking with boredom, and to help keep track of the time so he knew exactly what time it was.

After Kira-that obnoxious, self-righteous bastard – had left him in here, L had quickly scrambled to his feet, removing the thin hospital gown and slipping into the clothing provided, sighing in relief as his skin was once more covered.

As paranoid as L was, it was extremely uncomfortable for him to be in such a state of undress in front of anyone- excluding Beyond, of course. Beyond was the exception to everything.

He had provided him with a plain white shirt and loose, grey sweatpants. They were warm and comfortable and greatly helped set L's mind at ease. He hated being so exposed, so vulnerable in front of Kira.

And then… Kira's guard dog had come in with that disturbing smile, the smile that unnerved L. But he supposed that it should have been expected; Mikami hated him, he knew, and so he would not expect any kind treatment from the man.

Mikami had dropped his heavy bag onto the floor, it landing with a heavy clinking noise on to the ground. Mikami left it untouched, leaving for a moment to bring in a tray of food that he set in front of L.

Grateful for the food, he had eaten it, relying on his knowledge of the way Kira's mind worked to determine that it was safe to eat. Surely, one as "honorable" as Kira would not poison a lowly prisoner's food? And L didn't think that Kira would want to poison or drug him- it defeated the purpose of keeping him alive.

He had finished the food and Mikami had silently taken it away, and then went to the bag and bent to unzip and rummage through it. L had leaned forwards, unabashedly curious, and had simply raised his eyebrows when Mikami came up with a set of thick, wide metal cuffs in his hand.

He had slapped them onto L's wrists, bolting the two sides of each together with a nut, before yanking L's arms harshly together behind his back. It pulled his shoulder blades together uncomfortably, making them cramp, but L refused to make a sound, knowing that it would please Mikami for him to do so. The man seemed to delight in his uncomfortableness.

Instead, Mikami had snorted softly and still holding L's wrists together, had slipped a thick iron ring through the hole that each cuff contained. That was then also bolted together, and Mikami released L momentarily to search through his bag once more, pulling out a long, rattling chain this time. L could see that the links were soldered to each other, instead of looped through the hole each one made, and that the links were smaller than a normal chain.

The chain he slipped through the ring and then looped through the ring attached to the wall, bringing the two ends of the chain together. And then, much to L's disbelief, Mikami held to two ends together and screwed them together, creating another link in the chain.

Looking closely, L could see that there was only a tiny seam in the small link to tell that it had been screwed together instead of being a whole, single link. L tried to remember which one it was, but when Mikami rattled the chain, slinging it through the ring a few times, L lost track of which one it was- the reason for Mikami's action, no doubt.

He desperately tried to recall which link it was, glancing down at the gleaming steel of the chain, but the links were so small and there were so many of them, there was no way of telling which link was the one that could be detached. He would have to look at each link and examine separately- and with his hands restrained, there was no way of doing so.

He gave a little tug to the chains, hearing them rattle despondently, and Mikami chuckled slightly before unearthing a simple-looking padlock from the bag and snapping it onto the place where the chain met the cuffs. "This is special lock… no one but Kira-sama will be able to open it."

L had twisted his head to look behind him, eyes widening and a curse hovering on the edge of his lips as he recognized what kind of lock it was, exactly. He had only seen it before a few times- it was a very nasty piece of technology, especially to thieves.

Mikami had then stepped back, surveying the restrained L with a satisfied smirk. "It does my heart good to see a criminal like you here where you belong," Mikami had said, gloating at L's situation. "Kira does send his regards," before turning and retrieving the bag, leaving the room with a small laugh.

Kira.

Just thinking about him made L's lip want to curl.

He spoke as if he knew L, knew why he had taken some cases and ignored others. He took the cases he did because they were the ones only he could solve, the ones that would never be solved if not for his interference. The others he refused because the police could handle them; perhaps not as fast as he could have figured them out, but they were able to be solved by the average human minds.

The ones he took on were not so.

Kira was wrong, very wrong.

He helped those by focusing on cases that needed him to solve them.

Kira was a fool; he was a killer, a sociopath, a delusional murderer with idealistic thoughts and delusions of grandeur, of godhood.

But…

A tiny, stray thought niggled at L's mind, a small seed of doubt planted by Kira's words and fed by his own sense of worth.

What if…

He was right?

What if L could have used the extra hour or so that he set aside each night to take on a few more cases, three or four, and solve them as well? No… in the end, doing that would have just run him down. It would have exhausted him, mentally and physically, and his efficiency rate would have gone down as his brain grew sluggish.

Kira was wrong, L knew with certainty. He did feel guilty about not taking on certain cases, yes. At first he did. But he was only one man; he had to have some reservations. And the police could not simply rely on him to solve every single one of their cases that proved the smallest bit challenging. They had to learn to think for themselves, to think and use their own God-given brains to do their own jobs; L only took the most challenging cases, the ones he _knew_ that normal detectives and police officers would not be able to solve.

God, it made him so damned angry to think that Kira had been judging him, weighing his worth and calling him a murderer because he refused to do other's work. Kira was no better himself- instead of trying to help the world, he had taken it over and controlled it with fear.

Kira was helpless without the Death Note; just another random high school student. But he was L; the best detective in the world- and the fool thought to judge _him_…

Without a name and a face, Kira was useless.

That thought jolted L, and he gasped slightly.

Kira would be wanting Beyond's name; he wanted the Eyes, and he wanted the man behind the L- the new L.

And he knew Beyond was both; by now, he'd be desperate to get Beyond's name so that he could manipulate and control both of them. And if Kira found out Beyond was his brother, his twin brother… shit would hit the figurative fan. Their hopes for restoring the world to its Kira-free state would be ended.

L closed his eyes, shaking his head in determination. No matter what, he would not give Kira Beyond's name; doing so would be the worst sort of betrayal, proof that he held his own safety and life at a far greater value than Beyond's. And that was not true.

Suddenly, L stopped, processing a change in his body.

With a frown, L tilted his head to the side, feeling his heart speed up and his breath exit his body faster, speeding up along with his heart rate. L was confused at this feeling, and his brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to think of why this was happening. Thinking of Kira had not made him angry enough to provoke this sort of reaction- he so rarely got angry enough to have this sort of reaction, although thoughts of Kira and his actions did push it.

No, this felt different…

It was either nervousness or excitement, judging by the biological reactions of his body. But he had no reason to be either; unless it was caused by the thought of Kira's questioning. But the thought didn't invoke any other emotion than a strange sense of anticipation, which in itself was odd. Kira was a genius, yes, and talking to him, arguing with him was exciting, almost an adrenalin rush, because one word out of line, one misstep and Kira would no doubt kill him…

But still, the feeling was stronger than simply anticipation, and it was purely involuntary, almost like-

L gasped, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

The excitement making his heart flutter and stomach tense was not his.

It was Beyond's.

And he had no reason whatsoever to feel excited unless…

Beyond was coming for him.

"Beyond…" L whispered, disbelieving.

He had forgotten… looking back in dread at the cuffs and chains that encircled his wrists, L closed his eyes, bowing his head.

He had set up a plan for the event of his capture; he had determined there to be about a 50% chance of him getting captured by Kira on any hit or heist they set out to complete. This percentage was too high for him to be comfortable with doing nothing; it was why he had contacted an ally that worked under Kira, having them set up a plan for his breakout when the time came.

But he had severely miscalculated.

Never in his wildest plans, had he thought of Kira putting a digital lock on the chains binding him to the wall. The cuffs around his wrists were secured to the chain with a digital lock, a special one that was wirelessly connected to a security system-in this case, Kira's- and sent out an electronic signal to the metal connected to it. If the chain were ever broken or damaged in some way such as being cut or melted, the lock would register this and send an alert to Kira the instant it was.

The only way to unlock the cuffs and chains was to unlock the digital lock; and the only way to do that lay within Kira's own hands. It was fingerprint coded, and ultra-sensitive. Kira knew that L's followers would be coming; as such, he had no doubt taken the necessary precautions.

The lock was sensitive to the DNA and unique fingerprint of Kira's thumb; there was no possible way, even with L's technology, that they could fake Kira's DNA and set him free.

But Beyond didn't know this.

He had no way of knowing that attempting to free him was futile, with the locks Kira had chained him with, and yet, he was coming here, L was certain. Beyond hadn't wanted to wait, no doubt.

As soon as he heard L was moved, Beyond would have put his plan into action, now that escape was possible.

* * *

"What do you want?"

The woman that answered the door- Kira's secretary, no doubt- was extremely rude. Her brusque manner and the way she raked her eyes distastefully over their forms was extremely inconsiderate; what happened to Japanese politeness and courtesy?

Of course, it may have been the way they were dressed…

"We're the technicians that were called to deal with the electricity problem," the blonde answered, flashing a charming smile at the blandly pretty secretary.

"We have no electricity problem…" the secretary trailed off as the lights behind her flickered once, twice, before coming back on, slightly dimmer than normal.

"You were saying…?" the shorter blonde woman answered, shifting her grip on her electrician's bag.

The woman narrowed her eyes but nonetheless opened the door, allowing the two women in. "Fine. The electricity source is on the level right below this one- exit the elevator and its' the second metal door on the left. We usually don't allow strangers here, but under the circumstances…"

"Of course," the taller blonde bowed. They made their way around the corner, heading to the elevator.

Quickly, the shorter woman checked the watch on her wrist, glancing up at the taller blonde and nodding quickly at her. The other woman looked away, a small smile quirking her lips.

Time.

She tugged her skintight grey suit the slightest bit lower and adjusted her walk, swinging her hips very subtly as they came across the elevator, two armed guards waiting there, stiffening as they saw the two women. "Stop- what are you doing here?"

They stopped, and the taller blonde walked up to them, beaming. "We're here to fix the electricity problem." She stepped closer, her eyelids lowering almost invitingly.

The guard raised his gun, eyeing her and the other woman suspiciously. "Mikami is the one who handles all the problems like this- he would have informed us if there was a problem, so that we were alerted to someone needing clearance."

The shorter blonde slunk forwards silently, the guards not noticing her, fixated on the other woman as they were.

The woman sighed, shaking her head. "Well… I suppose that presents a problem, doesn't it? Because there is a problem… but it's with you, being here."

Before the guards had a chance to react, the woman swung her leg out and kicked the first guard in the head, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

The second guard was about to call for help, but the shorter blonde quickly jabbed a needle into the side of his throat and injecting him with the substance within. His eyes slipped shut and he crumpled to the ground, both women catching him so that he wouldn't create a thump.

"Lecherous perverts…" the taller blonde murmured, shaking her head as she helped the shorter blonde drag the man into the open elevator. "He was staring down my suit the whole time."

"When you wear your suit like that, Wedy, it's going to attract attention."

"Ah, code names, Halle."

"Sorry, Catty."

Wedy straightened and reached out to grab the other security guard, dragging him in as well, before hitting the button for the floor below. "Right. Now…"

Halle unzipped her grey electrician's suit while Wedy reached down to handcuff both men's hands with handcuffs she pulled out of her black bag before following Halle's lead. She then reached up and pressed a finger against her right ear. "This is Catty, come in."

_+We hear you, Catty. The lines should be secure, so go ahead and speak freely.+_

"The elevator is secure- the secretary was suspicious, but she let us in. Tell matt he did a nice job with the timing on the electrical wires. The guards are going to be stored in the floor below the main one, in the room with the metal door, second down the hall."

_+Good. Hotshot and Sunshine can go and retrieve their uniforms. The cameras are looping right now- they won't notice anything for 15 minutes, until the guard changes. After you clear the set, you know what to do. Crimson wants to know who this M is, and we have a pretty good idea. You know where to go.+_

"Of course. Catty out. Good luck."

Wedy clicked her communicator off and nodded to Halle. "Plan's going smoothly. We're in the clear."

* * *

Mello clicked his communicator off and flashed a 'thumbs-up' at Matt. "Wedy said that you timed it perfectly."

Matt snorted, reattaching the wires to the mansion's electrical control box. "Of course. I'm fucking awesome, that's why it worked. Magical fucking fingers, here," Matt wiggled his fingers at Mello, smirking.

It was so nice of Kira to install the box that controlled all of the lights and electrical connections in a deserted part of the sewer. It was easy to locate it after some searching and a tip-off from M, and now, they had access to the flow of electricity to Kira's mansion.

From there, it was easy for Matt to find the wire that he needed, work it loose, and jiggle it around a little to simulate electrical problems.

"Shut it," Mello snapped, reaching up to press his communicator. "M? You there?"

_+Yes. But I won't be for long. I only have a short window of time in which to operate before I have to leave to avoid suspicion. However, I'll keep in contact as long as possible- I estimate around five minutes before I have to vacate the area.+_

Shit. This guy was going to bolt if Wedy and Halle took too long. It was a good idea that Beyond had to give the two a private line that M couldn't hear- he couldn't know that they planned on finding out who he was.

"We understand. Just try to hold your position as long as you can."

_+No promises, but I'll stay as long as possible.+_

"Good." Mello disconnected and turned to Gevanni and Matsuda. "You can go now- remember the way that M told you."

"Yeah, I remember," Matsuda said, reaching up to tap the side of his temple. "Air vents… man, I always did want to try that. Like those cool spy movies, y'know?"

* * *

_+Crimson? Hey, Crimson, you there?+_

"Yeah, I'm here." Beyond gazed up at the brick ceiling of the sewers, staring at the black, circular device attached to it. It was so funny to think that all that separated him from L was a ceiling that could be cut through by that little device. It seemed almost easy.

Too easy. A feeling of unease came over him, and he recalled, with a pang, something L had said to him when they had first started working together. It was after he heard of Kira, and knowing L was working on the case, put a halt on his vigilantism and immediately flew to Japan to keep an eye on L. He had a nasty habit of not caring about his own personal safety- as evidenced by their current situation.

_If something seems like it's going off without a hitch, something's is most likely going to happen. No one can calculate every nuance of a plan- not even me. People are too unpredictable and have a tendency to throw a wrench in any plan. We need to be flexible, Beyond- we need to prepare for every possible situation and be ready for any others we didn't think of. You need to listen to your gut, Beyond, because sometimes, after all your plans have gone to hell, it's the only thing you have left to rely on._

Beyond closed his eyes, thinking. Right now, that uneasy feeling was almost burning a hole in his stomach, making him extremely uneasy. It almost felt like it was coming from L… It certainly had that feeling- and Beyond knew what something from L felt like.

His eyes drifted back up to the ceiling and knowing that L was up there, relying on him made him steel himself and push away the unease gathering in his stomach. It was very rarely that he disregarded a feeling coming from L, but he couldn't allow something like this to jeopardize his plan, not when he was this close.

Besides, who wouldn't feel uneasy being in the situation L was in? Captured and in his enemy's hands… beyond wouldn't feel fucking peachy about that, he knew.

The person on the other end of the radio started talking once more, snapping him out of his thoughts and he tuned in, brows furrowing as he listened.

_+Catty and Blondie are moving. They'll contact you when the coast is clear, and then they're going to complete the other half of their mission. Should be about…eh, 5 minutes tops. Might take them a bit to navigate those air ducts, although it might not. Didn't take them that long in the test runs.+_

"Alright. Thank you, Gamer."

_+No prob. See you and Sherlock on the flipside.+_

Beyond didn't bother replying, instead clicking his communicator off and taking a deep breath. He turned to Near, who was watching him silently a few feet away. "Near. Let's get that ladder set up. It's almost time."

So engrossed in their task, they didn't notice the camera in the corner that silently swiveled to lock onto them, its red eye glowing in the darkness of the tunnel.

* * *

Light leaned forwards on his desk, chin propped on the palm of his hand and watching the surveillance screen with a pleased smile. Although it irked him that he couldn't hear what was being said, he was nonetheless glad that he could see what was going on.

Drilling a hole under L's cell to break him out… simple, yet stealthy. Sometimes the best plans were the simplistic, clever ones. If not for that camera that he had installed underneath L's cell, he would have had no clue as to what was going on.

But then again, he had suspected that something like this was going to happen after he moved L.

Chuckling to himself, Light stood up, stretching languidly, before checking his watch.

It took him about 5 minutes to get down to L's cell… if he left a minute after they started cutting the hole, he'd be able to catch them in the act. No doubt L had already figured out the little lock that he had had Mikami put onto the chins.

And he was equally sure that Crimson, being L's friend or lover- as he had to be one or the other, judging by Ryuk's tellings of the matter and L's own reactions when he had confronted him about it earlier- would be stubborn and try to figure out some way to free L.

And there was no way. But they didn't know that, and it would delay the man long enough for Light to get there and confront the bastard.

Light laughed, folding his arms and relaxing, watching the screen with a triumphant light in his amber eyes.

Everything was going off perfectly- exactly as planned.

* * *

"Damn it… why did they make these air ducts so small?" Wedy huffed as she wiggled her way through the small, square space. "I mean, goddamn, these engineers had something against busty women or something!"

Halle just rolled her eyes, easily army-crawling through the small ducts. "They weren't made for people at all, Catty. But considering the country we're in… they most definitely didn't have big-chested Americans in mind when installing them."

"Oh, for Christ's sake…" Wedy finally managed to squeeze through the tight spot and followed stealthily after Halle, her blue eyes narrowed in irritation. "This is always why I hated doing jobs in Japan."

"Sh!" Halle hissed and Wedy was silent, both women cocking their heads, listening to what was going on below.

"…lunch break, Kitika."

"Thanks, man."

The sound of footsteps reached their ears and they froze, not wanting to give their position away. The door hissed shut as the relieved guards exited, leaving behind two new ones. They wouldn't be relieved for another hour- plenty of time for Beyond and Near to get in there, get L out, and seal the hole in the floor.

From there, Halle and Wedy would make their way back to the elevators, switch back into their electrician's suits and walk out. The guards at the elevator wouldn't be suspicious about their sudden leaving, because the real guards would be tied up safely and replaced with Gevanni and Matsuda, who would soon be relieved and free to leave.

M had concocted a brilliant plan, really. He had planned out the whole scheme, supplied the suits, the guard's relief times, and the routes needed and how long everything needed to take. He had gotten them in, just as promised, and would allow them to leave safely, L in their possession.

There was silence for a few minutes and Wedy and Halle waited, making sure the new guards were really alone before Wedy quietly pried off the slat in the air duct that led down to the room. It was done expertly and without a noise, and Wedy silently handed it off to Halle, who set it aside noiselessly.

Wedy then shifted and slid her legs out of the hole, grasping onto the edges of the hole and lowered herself down into the room, dropping down behind the guards.

They turned at the small thump that Wedy made, but she was on them before they could react. She hit one of them in the temple, sending him sprawling, unconscious, to the floor. The other, she pinched the back of his neck as he made towards the door, making him crumple to the floor.

Wedy then looked up and flashed a thumbs-up at Halle, who nodded. She pressed her finger to the communicator in her ear, switching it on while Wedy dragged the dropped guards out of sight of the doorway, into a corner. "Crimson," she murmured. "The door's secure. Feel free to proceed with the next step of the plan."

_+Excellent.+ _Beyond replied on the other end. His voice sounded emotionless- almost the same as L's did. Although, not quite- his vice was slightly deeper, and carried an undertone of excitement even through the voice-scrambler, betraying his emotions on the matter. L's had never done that. _+You know where to go from here.+_

"Of course. Blondie out." She clicked the communicator off and then took the bag handing off of her shoulder and reached into it, pulling out a length of rope and a hook. She screwed the hook into the air duct and tied the rope onto it, giving it a sharp tug to make sure it was tight before tossing it down to Wedy, who was waiting impatiently.

"Finally," Wedy muttered, grabbing the rope starting to haul herself up quickly and expertly. "I swear, Halle, you're slower than a turtle stampeding through peanut butter."

"No need for insults- I'm not a thief," Halle chided. "I specialize in undercover work, not stealth and surveillance."

Wedy just huffed and hauled herself over the edge of the hole and proceeded to replace the slat of air duct while Halle pulled the rope up, unscrewing the hook and placing both into the bag before shouldering it once more.

Wedy then turned to Halle and gave her a short nod, grinning into the darkness of the metal air duct. "Right. Well then, shall we go and meet this mysterious M?"

* * *

Beyond shut his own communicator off and turned to Near, who was perched on top of the set-up ladder, waiting for Beyond to give him the go-ahead on cutting into the ceiling. Giving Near a short nod, Beyond leant over and rummaged through his bag, pulling out a rope and screw, much like he had given to Halle to help her in her travels through Kira's air ducts.

"The guards are down, Near. Go ahead."

Near reached up and ran his fingers around the circular saw, searching for the switch that would turn it on After a few seconds, he found it and flicked it on, scrambling back down the ladder as it vibrated for a moment, the blade starting to spin, and then with a screeching noise, it started moving, cutting along the track that had been laid earlier by Matt and Mello.

It didn't take long for the saw to come to a screeching halt, shutting off automatically as it reached the end of the track. Near climbed the ladder once more and unlatched the saw from the ceiling, jerking it free and tossing it down to Beyond, who put it into his bag.

He then tossed the rope ad screw up to Near, who screwed the hook into the ceiling a few inches away from where the hole would be and tied the rope to it, making sure it was secure by holding onto it and leaning on it. "It's secure; enough to hold both L's and your weights, if it comes to that," Near told Beyond, and then climbed down, switching places with the man.

"I'll stay down here and get everything ready to go," Near said, watching as Beyond's lanky form ascended the ladder and started removing the track and tossing it down to Near. "There's not much I can do up there- it's all you," Near continued as he pulled a separate, smaller bag out of the larger one and handed it up to Beyond.

In it were metal-cutters and a few lockpicks- enough to be able to free L from whatever restraints Kira had put onto him, hopefully. The last bit of track came free, and taking a deep breath, Beyond slid his fingers into the small gap the saw had created.

A few more seconds, and he'd be seeing L.

"One last thing, Beyond," Near said, looking up at Beyond. "Good luck."

Beyond nodded in acknowledgement before he wrenched the circular piece of ceiling free with a sharp jerk, coughing once as some dust and dirt came loose. He tossed it off to the side, and then hoisted himself up through the hole, into L's cell.

He pulled himself up and stood to his feet, whipping his head around as he searched the cell of the person he wanted to see the most.

He heard a soft intake of breath to his right and he snapped his head around, red eyes meeting black.

"L," Beyond breathed, a relieved smile spreading over his face. "I found you."

* * *

Crawling through the air ducts to M's suspected room was easy- they had memorized the route with no problem, and it was just a matter of remembering the turns to take.

Eventually, though, they reached the end of the air duct-just like they needed to- and Wedy once more removed the slat of the air duct and Halle attached the rope to the metal before jumping down, Wedy right after her.

They were pleased to see that M was in the room- though M was not by the computer, speaker, and microphone that were on the ground, in the corner.

M turned around as they landed on the ground, eyes widening as their contact took in their black suits and hidden faces. As one, Wedy and Halle both removed their masks and then Halle stepped forwards, smirking slightly, before she addressed the other person in the room.

"Hello, M. Or would you prefer your real name, Misa Amane?"

The model froze as the two women stepped forwards, her eyes widening even more so, to epic proportions. "M?" she whispered, lips parting in shock. Her face paled before she shook her head, as if trying to deny Halle's words. "No… she told me that she was done with that… She said that she wouldn't do it anymore!"

It was Wedy and Halle's turn to be shocked. "What are you talking about, M?" Wedy asked, her blonde brows furrowing in confusion. What the hell was this model talking about? Was she trying to pin the blame on someone else?

Misa's eyes clenched shut, and her tiny hands balled into fists. "I swear, I'm not M-"

"She's right."

The sound of a new voice made Halle and Wedy's head snap around, and Misa raised her blue eyes to stare in the direction that Halle and Wedy were, betrayal evident in the angry set of her face.

A slender woman in a white nurse's uniform stepped forwards, shutting the door behind her and locking it with a quiet click. Silently, she removed her cap and tangled her fingers in her short brown hair before sliding off the wig, long black hair spilling down her back. She then looked up, narrowing her brown eyes. "I'm afraid that you have it wrong. Let me introduce myself. My name is Naomi Misora- also known as M."

* * *

L almost felt his heart stop as there was the sound of something being cut, being sawed through, and he watched with incredulous eyes as a circle slowly began to appear in the floor of the cell. There was a moment of silence after the noise quit and the circle was complete, before the circle shifted and then disappeared, a crash sounding right afterwards.

He waited with bated breath, worry making bile rise in the back of his throat.

Beyond. He couldn't be here; it was too dangerous! No matter how much L ached to see him, how much his heart started to sing at knowing his twin was close, worry gnawed at him, the fear that something would happen and Beyond would be captured or worse-killed.

That thought made L close his eyes, not wanting to even contemplate the possibility. If Beyond ever died, he didn't think… he knew wouldn't be able to make it.

Yet, even through the worry that ate at him, it was a selfish feeling that flashed through him as he saw the beginning of a black-haired head poke out of the hole, followed by a thin boy that lifted itself up through the hole and rose to its feet, scanning the cell.

Relief. Relief and joy. It was so selfish, to be happy that Beyond was here, even though it could get him killed. He had wanted Beyond to come and get him, to bring him back, but not like this. Not with these sort of stakes.

There was no way to free him without Kira knowing, but Beyond, being the stubborn bastard he was, wouldn't give up. He'd try and try until Kira himself came down with a contingent of guards-

L suddenly froze, his eyes widening and heart pounding faintly in his ears as everything clicked.

Kira. That bastard.

He had created a scheme, a trap of his own without L seeing it.

How had he been so blind?! How had it slipped past him?

Kira wanted Beyond to come here; he had put on a lock that alerted him if it was damaged not so that he could make sure that L wouldn't escape, but so that he would know when Beyond was here.

He knew of Beyond's connection to him, and so he had concluded that Beyond would be coming for him.

He knew Beyond would be coming here; and he had created a way of being alerted when he did.

The bastard had concocted a trap for Beyond. Kira thought to use him as bait, as a tool against his own brother. Fucking twisted son of a bitch!

L didn't realize he had been holding his breath and at that angry thought, it escaped him, making him gasp to get much-needed air back into his body. At the sound, Beyond's head snapped over to him, and L's heart started to flutter at the relieved smile that spread over Beyond's face.

L's heart thumped as he took in his twins' face; he had missed Beyond so much, and even though it was disgustingly selfish of him, he was glad Beyond was here. It was a purely involuntary reaction, produced by being separated from his beloved twin for so long. He couldn't help but _not _be happy; he loved Beyond too much to not be overjoyed to see him, even though Beyond couldn't be here, and had to leave as soon as possible.

"L," Beyond breathed, and hearing that voice, so similar to his own but holding a slightly gravelly tone to it, so very dear to him sent tingles down his back. "I found you."

Beyond hurried over to him and enveloped him in a hug, his brother's warm, lanky arms encircling his waist and pulling him close, into Beyond's firm body.

L wanted to struggle, to tell Beyond that he needed to _leave_ and leave _now_, but he was unable to. His body was starved for the familiar comfort of his twin after being separated for so long. All he could do was slide his eyes shut and allow his traitorous body to lean into Beyond, enjoying the slide of Beyond's soft hair against his cheek and inhaling the unique scent of his brother's skin and hair, his senses coming alive in the close proximity of his twin.

"L," Beyond repeated, his warm breath ruffling L's hair. 'I missed you so goddamn much. You have no idea-" his voice cracked, emotion making it waver. "You have no idea how much I fucking missed you, L."

L nodded, understanding completely. "I know, Beyond," L whispered, finally gathering enough control to say what he hated, but needed to say. "I know. But, you can't stay. Kira-"

"No!" Beyond barked, pulling back, the action making L immediately crave his brother's comfort once more. His hard, red eyes stared into L's, his long fingers coming up to gasp L's chin firmly yet gently and forcing him to meet Beyond's eyes. "I left you behind once before- and that fucking hurt like you wouldn't believe, L. I refuse to leave you behind again- you're coming back with me, one way or another." Beyond said vehemently, his eyes sparking with anger.

L tried to turn his head away, but Beyond refused to let go, keeping L's gaze on his eyes. "You don't understand, Beyond," L urged, struggling to make Beyond listen to him. "Kira, he's going to find out-"

"No," Beyond cut him off shaking his head. He felt so angry- at Kira for keeping his brother here, away from him, at a little bit at L for telling him that he couldn't stay, that he had to go. And he refused to do that. He had been separated from L for too long as it was- L's missing presence had left a gaping hole in his heart, a hole that was filled now that he was with L once more.

And he absolutely fucking refused to let that hole open again. He needed L- he felt as if he were going crazy without his brother, as if he were going to fall apart without L's strong, comforting presence.

He'd come too far now to leave without L.

"Even if Kira does find out what's happening, we'll be long gone before he can get here," Beyond said firmly, drawing back reluctantly to unzip the bag and drew out the metal-cutters, hefting them in his hand and going behind L to see what he'd need to cut through. Anger flashed through him at seeing the chains that restrained L, latching him to the wall like some common dog.

God damn it, L didn't fucking deserve this.

He knelt down and closed his fingers around L's wrists, drawing them up gently. Handcuffs were often sharp on the inside, cutting and rubbing the skin until it was raw and painful. But he knew L had thought if this, and as such, didn't waste his time with useless struggles and cause himself unnecessary pain.

Still, L had to have shifted somewhat to help get himself more comfortable, and so there were small red rings around his wrist where the tight metal had rubbed against the delicate skin of his wrist. "Ah, L," Beyond sighed, shaking his head. "You shouldn't have had to go through this."

"Beyond, listen-"

"Hush, L," Beyond said. He was in no mood to listen to L's urgings, and there was no time, either. He needed to get this done and get L out of here.

"No," L insisted, twisting his head to look at Beyond, a desperate light in his eyes. He needed to make Beyond understand what he was trying to tell him! "You need to listen to me. It's important, damn it, Beyond!"

L's urgent toe made Beyond stop what he was doing and look to L. "What?" he snapped, tired of being prevented from what he was trying to do.

"Look at the chains, Beyond! Look at the lock- you should know what type of lock that is," L instructed.

Beyond did so, picking up and examining the lock, turning it this way and that. When realization set in, he cursed, spitting out the harsh words with vehemence.

L sighed as beyond trailed of, rattling the chains to prove his point. "See, Beyond? There's no way that you can get the lock undone, much less the chains."

For the lock itself had a tracking device inside it, and the hook latching it to the cuffs encircling L's wrists was made of steel alloy, the hardest metal known to man. Even if Beyond were able to cut through the chains, he would not be able to cut the lock that kept the two cuffs onto L's wrists with a simple pair of metal-cutters. He'd need a diamond-edged tool or an arc welder, both of which would do irreparable harm to L's wrists and hands if something went wrong in the process of removing them.

In other words… there was no way to get L out.

"Damn it, L," Beyond growled, shifting so that he was kneeling in front of L. He reached up and grasped L's face in both hands, tilting his head forwards so that their foreheads were touching and looked into L's eyes. "You know I can't leave you here. You know that, L, because of this," he slid one hand down and rested it gently against L's heart, which was thumping steadily.

"I know, Beyond," L said sadly, closing his eyes. "I know. But when I made that contingency plan by using my contact, M, I had not thought that Kira would use such a lock. But even if you do cut the chains, there's no way to cut the lock off until we get back to base; and by then, Kira will have tracked us back. He's cornered us, Beyond, and there's nothing we can do about it."

_Which means you have to go._

The words lingered unspoken in L's cell, and Beyond was still for a moment, eyes wide as the situation fully registered.

He'd be leaving L again. He'd be without L once more, and this failure… this would only inspire Kira to take even more extreme with his security measures. It was hard enough getting into Kira's mansion as it were; it would be nigh impossible once he figured out how Beyond had infiltrated L's cell. After Kira found that out, there was no doubt he'd make the necessary adjustments to his security from there.

And the irony of the situation was not lost on Beyond, either.

For so long he had warned his team about not screwing up, and yet, he was the one to fail. Again. He had failed to bring L home again.

Fury made his eyes close and his breath come in harsh pants as he tried to get it under control. Fuck Kira. Fuck the Death Note, fuck everything in the whole fucking world but L!

He felt L's forehead knock against his own, trying to bring his attention back to L and calm him down- no doubt L could feel his anger- but he was too riled up to be calmed. He had fucking lost L again; shit had gone down the drain, and it infuriated him. "That bastard. I'm so sick of him separating us, Lawli," Beyond said softly, his shoulders shaking with anger. He gripped L's shoulders tightly, shaking his head in an effort to clear his mind.

"I know, Beyond," L said back, just as quiet. He leaned forwards to press his cheek against Beyond's. "But I don't think Kira will kill me. I'll be fine, Beyond. But there's nothing left for you to do here. You need to go."

Beyond inhaled, his breath wavering shakily as he breathed in. The thought of losing L again… of having to wait even longer before he could have his twin back… Truly back and safe with him again…

No.

"No," Beyond repeated, flicking his eyes up into L's. "No. No, no, no, no," Beyond chanted, tilting his head to brush his lips over L's, like had done so long ago, his action laced with desperation. "I feel like I'm fucking going crazy without you there, L. I miss you so goddamned much…" Not waiting for L to respond, Beyond repeated the action, this time pressing his lips more firmly over L's, craving the close contact with his brother.

He could feel that L felt the same as he did- exactly the same. The melancholy, the longing to be together once more, and the hopeless anger at his situation… And while it saddened him to know this, it made him feel closer to L, knowing that they shared the same emotions. He pressed his lips harder against L's craving to get closer to his brother, and was overjoyed as he felt L do the same, L's warm breath seeping into his mouth, his very being, breathing life and sweet sanity into him again with the desperately missed contact.

The sound of the door being shut quietly sounded in the room, followed shortly by the sound of a smooth, insidious voice laced with anger. "It would seem as if I'm interrupting something."

Beyond recognized that voice, and hate filled him as he reluctantly pulled back from the contact with L and before his brother could stop him, whipped his head around and locked malice-filled crimson eyes with angry amber. "Kira," Beyond breathed, mind whirling as he processed this new development.

Kira.

Kira was here.

Which meant that Kira was in the room, with Beyond, who was in possession of a multiple number of materials he could easily use to cause injury to Kira.

Which meant… that Kira could die.

At the revelation, Beyond's red lips slowly stretched into a hateful, disturbingly gleeful grin, eyes turning a glowing, ruby red as they flicked up to focus above Kira's head. "Kira," Beyond repeated, almost dizzy with the feeling of triumph. "So nice to finally _see_ you…"

* * *

Light had rushed down to L's cell as soon as he had seen the two figures start cutting the hole in the area right below L's cell, knowing it wouldn't take them too long to cut through the floor- he had made it purposely thin, just to tempt L's followers into breaking him out.

He paused as he entered the room just outside the cell, noticing the two guards unconscious in the corner.

So, L's followers had managed to infiltrate his mansion fully, then. No matter; once he had the new L, their resistance would crumble and there would no longer be need for such safety measures.

And he didn't bother calling any more guards- this was a confrontation between him and the two L's, and them alone. There was no room for extra bodies crowding the space. Besides, the presence of the guards might make the new L flee- if it were just him, Kira, he'd look a lot less threatening, and he was confident he could manipulate the man with the Eyes into giving up if he used L as a threatening tool.

Everything was falling into place, and Light smiled triumphantly as he stepped forwards, about to open the door. But the sound of a voice made Light stop, his curiosity piqued, and he pressed his ear against the door wanting to hear what was going on.

"….I feel like I'm fucking going crazy without you there, L. I miss you so goddamned much…" The voice that Light was able to hear outside of the cell was quite like L's, although it was deeper and rougher. It was laced with desperation, with an underlying sense of urgency.

Although the words… Light's eyes narrowed as he realized Crimson's- the new L- relationship to the original.

They must be lovers.

A sense of jealousy mixed with a hearty dose of anger seeped through him at the revelation, and not wanting to wait any longer, now that the man with the Eyes was here, Light swung the door to the cell open and stepped through, shutting it quietly after him.

The scene that met his eyes was both shocking and envy-inducing, at least to Light.

L was… kissing someone. Someone who looked disturbing similar to the same said man.

…L had a twin?

The shock that the thought carried didn't allow him to register that Crimson, the man he so desperately wanted to capture, was unmasked and his face revealed for Kira's viewing pleasure.

Ryuk's words, spoken those days ago, ran through his mind.

_He's real close to L. Like, his brother or lover or something…_

No. L couldn't be that twisted, could he? He wouldn't actually commit incest, would he?

Light was torn between an odd mixture of jealousy towards this man at beign able to be so close to L, to be able to touch and be so open with the man, and anger at both of them. The man should not be kissing L; and L should not be allowing this. L was _Light's_ enigma, his puzzle to figure out and break down until he was left with nothing more than the very inner workings of L to pick apart and study as he wished, as L permitted him to do.

Light's eyes narrowed at the thought and he stepped forwards, wanting nothing more than to break up the scene before him. "It would seem as if I'm interrupting something," Light said, unable to help the anger that crept into his voice.

His words drew the attention of L's supposed twin, and the man whipped his head around. A sense of unease tingled along Light's spine as the Shinigami Eyes landed on him, examining him with first shock, then anger, and then quickly changed to a morbid glee.

"Kira," the man breathed, right before his eyes slowly seemed to light up, burning a glowing red as they flicked up to above his head.

It was a disturbing feeling, knowing one was looking at your real name and lifespan. It was almost a sense of vulnerability, because that person now knew exactly _who_ you were- and there was nothing you could do about it.

And it was even more disturbing as Crimson's red lips slowly stretched into a morbidly gleeful grin, heralding thoughts racing through the man's mind that did not bode well.

"Kira," Crimson repeated. "So nice to finally _see_ you…"

There was special emphasis on the word 'see' and the hidden context made Light grit his teeth. The bastard was obviously flaunting the Shinigami Eyes, and his knowledge of Light's name and lifespan.

Though everyone knew his name; it was just testament to the amount of support he had that no one-besides L and a few minor resistance factions in the beginning- had ever tried to use this against him.

"And it's nice to see the face of the new L, as well," light replied, taking a small measure of satisfaction at the way Crimson's eyes narrowed at the veiled threat. "Though, I never expected to learn that L had such a complex relationship with his own brother…"

"You must not be the genius they say you are, if you really think that L and I would ever commit incest, Kira," Crimson spat hatefully, glaring at Kira. He reached down to grab the pair of metal cutters that lay discarded on the floor, holding them firmly and lifting them up to point them directly at Kira in an obviously threatening manner. "Just as you would be an idol not to realize that I _will_ kill you with these unless you free L."

"And you must not be much brighter if you don't realize that I absolutely refuse to do that," Light retorted. "And I can't allow you to leave, either. Not after you fell so easily into the trap I carefully laid. I need the Eyes to help me in disposing of criminals, and now that you're here, I can't let you leave."

Crimson's features twisted into a dreadful snarl at Light's words. "I won't be manipulated!" Crimson yelled, hefting the cutters and starting towards Light, intent.

"No!" L shouted, his chains rattling as he shifted forwards, eyes fixed firmly upon Beyond.

Both of the other men stopped at L's sudden outburst, and knowing that he had both Kira and Beyond's attention, he continued. "I refuse to allow my own brother to be captured and used as I am. You may have his face, Kira," L hissed, shooting a malice-filled glare at his enemy, "but you don't have his name- and you are unable to do anything without that."

L admitted that drawing attention to the lack of Kira's knowledge as to his brother's real name was a diversionary tactic. Beyond's eyes grew wide at his perceived notion of L's utter lack of tact, and Kira's confusion at L's change of topic distracted them both enough so that they didn't notice when he shifted slightly backwards, allowing himself to have more slack in the chains binding him to the wall.

"L, what are you doing?" Beyond started, but L cut him off.

"I'm saying goodbye. Go!" L used Beyond's momentary frozenness at his words to use the slack in the chain to flip himself onto his side and roll his body towards Beyond. He hit the back of his brother's calves, knocking Beyond off-balance.

He was unable to recover his balance, as the movement had been so quick had had not had time to brace himself for it and he teetered for a moment before he fell backwards, into the hole that had been created in the middle of the room.

"No!" Kira cried, starting forwards with a jerk as he saw Beyond- the man that he had so desired to have in his grasp- disappear into the dark depths of the hole in the ground, gone from sight and Kira's hands. He whirled on L, amber eyes blazing in fury. "What have you done?!"

"I've outwitted you, Kira," L responded, grinning even though his heart ached, knowing Beyond was gone. It hurt, to have that moment of happiness at being reunited with his brother, before having it ripped away from him so suddenly. But there had been no other choice. "You used me as a tool, and no one- note even a self-proclaimed God- gets away with such things."

Kira's fists clenched, his anger closing his throat and rendering him both mute and immobile, only able to glare at L, watching his finely-crafted plans drain down the proverbial hole.

"You lose, Kira," L said, eyes lighting with triumph. "Try to find him now."

Beyond was safe. And that was all that mattered. What happened to him now was irrelevant, although knew by the fury that suffused Kira's handsome face it was nothing good, he was sure.

* * *

"You're M?" Halle asked incredulously, eyes roving over the woman's figure in disbelief. "But… that doesn't make any sense! You couldn't possibly- how could a nurse have the resources to gain the information that you gave to the new L?! You just… you don't!"

"Actually," Misa said in a soft, angry voice, "she does. I supplied her with the technology and let her use my room, which isn't monitored. But that was a long time ago- dammit, Naomi, you promised me that you'd given that up and told L to find a new contact!"

Naomi's eyes slid over to Misa, a regretful light in them. "I'm so sorry, Misa," she said sorrowfully. "But you must understand- I owe L for my life. I can't help but not do everything in my power to help him."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Wedy demanded, crossing her arms. "You both need to explain yourselves."

Halle nodded in agreement, her hands rubbing her temples as she tried to process this new turn of events. "None of this is making one fucking whit of sense. I think… we're going to have to ask you some questions."

Wedy whipped her head over to give Halle a glare, her blue eyes sparking with anger. "We don't have enough time for that," she hissed.

Halle glared right back, her hands going down to rest on her hips. "L wanted information on M- we have time enough for that. L allotted enough, I know he made sure of that." She then turned back to Naomi and Misa, inclining her head. "Although, please do try to explain as fast and as clearly as possible. We need answers, if we're to report anything useful back to L."

Naomi turned to them, sighing. "I understand. It's very complicated, but I'll try my best to explain clearly. L saved my life 12 years ago, when I was 15. My parents were police officers- both of them. A criminal that they caught went to trial, but he was declared innocent- curse his lawyer's sleazy heart," she said vehemently.

"My parents were out of the country at the time- I was staying with my grandmother in the northern part of Japan at the time, on a different island. My parents didn't' hear about the criminal's release, and so had no way to prepare. He was waiting for them at their house- they didn't have a chance. He slaughtered them," Naomi said, a faraway look in her eyes, though her hands balled into fists at the bitter memory.

"He was coming after me next, but L caught the criminal before he could reach me. He saved my life, and I'm forever in his debt for that. I wanted to repay the favor somehow, although I had not the slightest clue as to how I would do that. Eventually I decided to follow in my parent's footsteps- but I went to America to become an FBI agent. A few years after completing my training, I received a message from L, asking if I would come work the Kira case with him. He had heard of my accomplishments- he actually remembered me. I was thrilled at the time, and left immediately.

However… that was when I met Raye Penber, another agent working under L. I can't really say that it was love at first sight… but it was close. We were engaged to be married. But Kira killed him a moth after our engagement.

When I heard the news, I was… shocked. But somehow, it didn't' come as a surprise. The danger at working to catch such a criminal as Kira came with untold danger, and so when Raye died, it came as no surprise. It didn't stop me from grieving, though. The day I heard of his death, I went for a walk, trying to clear my head and accept what had happened.

The shock wore off as I reached the park in the middle of the city, and I collapsed onto a bench, sobbing my heart out. However, I want' alone. A woman came and shook my shoulder, asking If I was alright,a dn listened as I spilled my heart to her. She was so kind, so caring… when she offered to buy me a coffee to warm myself up, I couldn't not accept. I admit, I've always been bisexual… so when we continued meeting for the next days after that and the meetings turned almost… flirtative, it was a felt almost natural to progress to the next level." Naomi paused for a moment, shooting a glance over to Misa before she continued. "Misa was the one that saved me, and helped me get back onto my feet."

"But that doesn't explain how you got here!" Halle said, thoroughly confused.

"Ah, that's my doing," Misa said. "Naomi went to the police to see about getting more information about Kira- but they wouldn't give her anything. Light was there… he knew Naomi was asking too many questions, and he eventually was able to find out her name- she dropped her wallet by accident, and when Light went to pick it up for her, he saw her driver's license- with her real name. From there, he was able to write down her name- which he did."

"He wrote down-! But, how did you survive?" Wedy said, cutting of Halle before she could ask the same question. As far as they knew, no one survived having their name in the Death Note. No one. It was an impossible feat, yet Naomi had apparently done it. How?!

Naomi didn't say anything for a moment, and Misa took the initiative and turned to Wedy, asking quietly, "Have you actually ever owned a Death Note?"

"Of course not."

"Then you wouldn't know that there are rules that come with owning a Death Note. 5 are written in the first page, but the Shinigami that's attached to the Death Note have to tell you the rest."

"How do you know this?" Halle had a feeling she knew… but it couldn't be possible.

"Because… I am also a Death Note owner," Misa revealed, shutting her eyes briefly, as if she hated admitting it.

The two Task Force women were shocked. "What?! How the hell-! We thought only Kira had one!"

"No," Misa shook her head. "But, I don't use mine. At all. It was something I promised Naomi- that I wouldn't use it after…"

"After what?"

"I used the Death Note to save her life."

"How? You didn't kill Light Yagami with it, so how did she survive her name being written in the death Note?"

"One of the rules of the Death Note is that if the a person's name is written in a Death Note a the exact moment it's being written in another, that person won't die. I was following Naomi that day that she went to the police station- Neither her nor Light saw what I was doing.

I saw Light pick up her wallet, and I immediately knew what he was doing as soon as Naomi turned to look at a commotion going on behind her. He pulled a piece of paper out of his watch, and I knew he was writing her name down. I couldn't… I wouldn't let that happen to her. I remembered what my Shinigami, Rem, told me before she died- that rule. I wrote Naomi's name down in my Death Note the same time Light Yagami did- and she was able to survive."

"Didn't he suspect something?"

"No," Naomi said. "He gave himself away- he told me what he had done and that I only had a few more seconds to live before I would leave to commit suicide. He was gloating, because there was nothing I could do about it. I'm rather good at reading body language- I was able to gauge the exact moment that Light had written for me to die, and so I pretended to be under the influence of the notebook and walked away."

Misa picked up as Naomi trailed off. "I found her shortly after that and took her home. I explained everything to her, about the Death Note and the rules. Everything. I explained everything to her, although it would be almost useless.

And then we figured out what to do from there. Naomi had to die- at least, as far as everyone knew. We were afraid that L might mention her to Light in passing, and he would know something had happened as she was still alive. So, for all intents and purposes… she had to die."

Naomi nodded, taking the story from there. "We took a body from the local morgue that matched my description that night and slit its throat, then burned it down in an old, abandoned house on the edge of the city. It was unrecognizable- I know how to create fires so hot that everything melts- even the teeth. I'm sure that L assumed it was I that died, as I went missing and the body showed up shortly after my disappearance."

Halle was floored. That these two women- that someone like Misa Amane had thought to use the Death Note so cleverly… it was stunning. She would have never suspected something like this being pulled off. Still, there was something that she wanted to know. "How did you end up here?"

Misa smiled at that; she had expected that question to be asked. "That was my doing. I wanted Naomi to be close in case something happened. She had a way to contact L- she could be the perfect spy for him. I didn't- still don't like this, but I'm not going to interfere in her life. I was the one who suggested Light hire a doctor and have here on hand. Naomi was the one who picked a secret L-supporter to fill the position. From there, it was easy to make up a resume for Naomi under a fake identity and have the doctor hire her. It was the perfect set-up. No one would suspect a lowly nurse. We set up 'M's' base in my room, which was safe because it's unmonitored. I asked for privacy when I moved in here, and Light knows I'm a Kira supporter, so there's no reason to distrust me."

That was quite ingenious, Wedy had to admit. But still, being a thief, there was something that bothered her. With all the security cameras around here, it had to look suspicious for Naomi-disguised as a nurse- to constantly visit Misa's room. "How did you excuse Naomi for her constant visits to your room?"

Misa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, looking slightly offended. "Haven't you been watching the news? Misa Amane is sick; the stress of being a model has taken its toll, and so she's taking a rest period to recuperate. I've been in my room, 'resting,' and the nurse here comes daily to give me my medicine and a check-up."

"Therefore allowing Naomi to use your room to contact L anytime she wished as M, with no one the wiser," Halle concluded, nodding, before continuing. "But I'm guessing that after you asked her to stop, she said she would- but continued to use your room whenever you weren't in it, so you wouldn't know that she was still doing it. Am I right?"

Naomi fidgeted, looking slightly ashamed as she bowed her head. "Unfortunately… yes," she sighed, before looking up and quickly adding, "But it was for a good reason. I did stop- until I found out that L was taken in by Kira, and knew it was only a matter of time before the new L or Watari contacted me. L never knew I was M, or that Naomi Misora was still alive. I used a voice scrambler to make myself sound younger and male, to hide my tracks. There was no way that you could have known it was me. Although, with my slip of the tongue, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Task Force started suspecting Misa was M. While she partly was, most of the responsibility for that fell onto my shoulders. I couldn't ask her to aide me in bringing Kira down- it would be selfish."

"But, Kira almost killed you! Misa, why do you still support Kira?" Halle asked incredulously.

"For the same reason Naomi supports L," Misa replied. Her voice was firm, reinforcing the fact that no matter what, she still supported Kira. "Kira saved my life- my parents were killed by a wanted robber on the run. He needed money to get on the subway so he could escape- he mentioned it, I remember. However, Kira killed him by a heart attack before he could get to me. He dropped dead right in front of my eyes- and for that, I owe him my life.

Misa paused for a moment, her brows furrowing as she thought, before she continued. "Of course… the Shinigami that was attached to my notebook also died because of me. There's only one way to kill a Death God- and it's a very well-guarded secret. The whole purpose of a Shinigami is to shorten a person's lifespan- how much time that person has left. I overheard Kira planning- you have a man with the Shinigami Eyes, yes? Then you know how lifespan works. Rem, my Shinigami, died when that robber's friends came after me for revenge. She killed them all and left me the Death Note.

I knew how Kira killed, and Naomi had told me that Light was a suspect in the Kira investigation. It was how I knew that he truly was Kira, and that he was going to kill Naomi."

Wedy tapped Halle on the shoulder, a slightly worried look on her face. "Halle. The time…" she urged.

Halle brushed her off, taking a quick glance at her own watch. "Yes, I know. We have a few minutes, so hold on. Naomi, why did you address L by his real name that one time you were talking to us?"

" I knew Light's father. When I was younger, I actually lived just a few houses down from him. My parents worked under him, and we were invited to eat with them a few times. I knew Light Yagami, Kira, when he was a few years younger than me. We didn't know each other very well, but he told me to call him Light- it was before he was corrupted with the Death Note."

Misa's face turned sour at Naomi's last words, and both Task Force women got the feeling that Naomi and Misa's differing views on Kira was definite sore point in their relationship.

"That definitely clears things up," Halle said , nodding. In truth, she was quite impressed; for these women to come up with such a perfect scheme to keep Naomi safe and help L, all under Kira's nose… it was quite ingenious, really. They made a perfect pair: Naomi had the skills, contacts, and intelligence to become L's spy and come up with a way to break L out, and Misa had the resources and information necessary to make everything work.

Suddenly, a voice came over Wedy and Halle's communicator. It was Mello, and he sounded almost… scared. Frantic.

_+Catty, Blondie, get your asses out of there now! We're withdrawing- something got fucked up and Kira's onto us!+_

"Shit," Wedy hissed, not bothering to reply. "We've got to go- if Mello's panicking, it's sure sign that hell's gonna break loose and shit's gonna hit the figurative fan. We need to go, Halle!"

"I understand." She looked to Misa and Naomi. "Are you going to continue your duty as L's contact here?"

Naomi shot a glance over to Misa, whose face looked torn. She bit her lips in contemplation, looking down, before she raised her eyes and nodded. "Yes. She will be."

Naomi looked shocked; no doubt it came to some surprise that Misa would allow her to continue working for L, but she looked thankful, nonetheless.

"Thank you, Misa," Halle said, already turning to the rope that a tense Wedy was jiggling impatiently. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

"Yes, yes, now go!" Misa said, shooing them away.

With a last glance, Halle grasped the rope and pulled herself back into the air ducts, waiting until Wedy had climbed back up as well before undoing the screw and roped quickly, while Wedy replaced the slat.

They then started crawling back the way they had come, heading towards the elevator as fast as they could, where Gevanni and Matsuda would be waiting.

They arrived back at the air ducts on the floor below the main one and dropped through, replacing the slat into its original place by jerking it over the empty space with the rope that Halle had attracted to it. Wedy jiggled the rope, allowing it to fall free and picked it up, shoving it into Halle's backpack, then both women took out their grey electrician's suits from the bag and slipped them on.

Halle nodded at Wedy as she finished zipping it up, and then they walked into the elevator, allowing it to take them up to the main floor.

As they exited, they nodded politely to the 'guards' that were watching the elevator- in actuality, just a disguised Matsuda and Gevanni, wearing the clothes taken from the disposed of guards.

Matsu ad and Gevanni had taken the place of the unconscious guards to prevent any o Kira's other employees from noticing that anything was amiss. They had entered the building from a camera-free room, and then entered the air ducts, making their way into the room where Wedy and Halle had stored the guards. Donning the guard's outfits, they had quickly taken the elevator up the main floor and taken the position of the two original guards- and no one had noticed anything out of place.

They stiffened, though, as Wedy and Halle were stopped on their way out by two guards dressed identically to them- their reliefs for their shift.

Luckily, the guards seemed placated by whatever a beaming Wedy had told them and the women were allowed to exit the building safely uncontested.

The guards drew nearer and Gevanni held up a hand in greeting. "Are you here to relieve us?" Matsuda asked, and one of the other guards nodded. "Yeah. It's the end of your shift- you can head on out."

"Alright," Gevanni said, playing the part of a loyal guard and acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "C'mon, Matsu."

From there, the two new guards took their positions and Gevanni and Matsuda walked out of the building, and after a quick glance to make sure no one was watching, quickly scrambled into the back of the electrician's truck that was idling outside the door and closed the doors, Wedy taking off down the gravel and turning onto the road, away from Kira's mansion and heading back to the safety of their base.

* * *

"Hey!" Near exclaimed, rushing to Beyond's side as he fell to the floor, stunned momentarily as he ht the hard brick. He helped Beyond up, large grey eyes wide with worry as Beyond stood up and glared at the hole in the ceiling.

"Twice now," Beyond hissed. "That's twice you've forced me to leave L behind, Kira. I don't forget things like this easily, and I will not let this go."

Near's worry only grew as Beyond turned to him, an almost insane glint lighting his eyes. "Radio in to Mello, Near. Tell him to contact everyone and tell them to pull out. The plan went to shit; Kira knew we were coming. There was nothing I could do."

"And L?"

Beyond faltered at this, pain flashing through his eyes before he closed them to hide it, although he couldn't hide the dejected slump of his shoulders. "There was nothing I could do- just like last time," Beyond said quietly, defeatedly. "I had… he forced me to leave him behind."

"B…" Near started, moving forwards to comfort his friend, but halted as Beyond held up a hand, his mouth opening and words tumbling out, unable to stop himself as all the pent-up emotions spilled out of him in a rush.

"No. Don't. I don't think… I don't want to be touched right now, Near. Not unless it's him. I'm not going to break down- I refuse to do that again. I'm fucking stronger than this- I need to be strong, I need to… I need to be able to pull myself together and get through this. I'm useless if I keep falling to pieces like this. And I refuse to be useless when L is counting on me.

He knows that I'll be able to find a way to get him out. He knows it, because he would have done the same thing for me if our situations are reversed. He's waiting for me, Near, and if I fall apart… he's going to be waiting a much longer time. And he can't afford that. He drew Kira's attention to my name in order to distract him so that he could force me to go.

And now that Kira realizes he knows my face, but not my name, he's going to be desperate to get it. And he'll do anything to get it- and L is the only one who knows it. And I'm afraid for L- I have no fucking idea what the hell Kira is going to do to him in order to get my name… but it won't be good- oh, God," Beyond gasped, his breath hitching and voice failing him as the flow of words came to a halt and the repercussions of what L had done to save him crashed down upon him, forcing him to his knees. He covered his mouth as his stomach churned, squeezing his eyes shut but just as quickly opening them as scenes of what Kira would do to L to gain the information he desired flashed across his mind.

"He's going to torture L- I know it. That bastard, that motherfucking bastard!" Beyond shouted, his voice echoing in the tunnel.

All was silent after the last echoes faded, save for Beyond's harsh panting as he struggled to pull himself together. Eventually, his breathing slowed, and he stood back up to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. Still, there was a measure of strength back in Beyond's bearings, as if he had decided upon a course.

He paused momentarily before he lifted his shoulders and raised his head, determination suddenly burning in his eyes. "But, I have a plan. I'm sick of relying on others to do my work for me." Beyond reached down to grab the black bag lying on the ground, slinging it over his shoulders.

He turned and took off down the tunnel, leaving the ladder there, Near following right after him. They had to get away before Kira decided to send his guards after them. He firmly ignored the sharp pain lancing through his being, being forced away from L once more.

"B, what are you going to do?" Near asked, sharp eyes taking in Beyond's new angry, determined stride as they raced down the tunnel, and the hard glint that appeared in his red eyes as he turned his head to meet Near's eyes over his shoulder.

"I'm going to handle it my own way from now on," Beyond said, his eyes narrowing as he thought, hate for Kira surging through him. "I've had enough of carefully concocted plans- they all fall to shit around me. From now on, we do things _my_ way. We're going to bring Kira's world crumbling down around him- one country at a time."


	14. Like a Pyramid, Crashing Down

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Holy Kira, Batman… didn't really expect people to respond to the fact that this was going on a short hiatus the way they did. I felt kinda pleased in a sadistic way, though, because the fact that people were upset about it being put on hold let me know that people actually do care about and like this story. Tickled me straight to the depths of my twisted, shriveled little heart.

But nevertheless, I keep my promises, and here it is, March 30th, and I'm back with the update. Now, let's forget that little lapse in my writing concentration and continue with the story, yeah?

* * *

"B. What are you planning?"

Beyond ignored Watari, his eyes flicking over the papers scattered all over the table. He didn't want his concentration ruined, his train of thought derailed, because God knew in the sorry state he was in now, with his failure to free L, it was so hard to stay on focus.

_KillKirayes Kill him Becauseheneeds to diefor Taking L and Goddamnit, Beyond focus L needs you focusfocusfocus!_

His thoughts struggled to stay ordered, often drifting off to fantasies of killing Kira before he could jerk them back to line. Even more often than not, he imagined-_no, it wasn't imagining because L was really here, everything had went perfectly- NO IT HADN'T _GODDAMNIT_ BEYOND BIRTHDAY GET YOUR FUCKING MIND BACK ON TRACK AND KEEP IT FUCKING THERE!-_ L was beside him, working with him. Though in the small bit of Beyond's mind that was still rational, he knew L wasn't there, was still in Kira's clutches with God know what being done to him.

"Yes, B," Mello said mockingly from the other side of the table, interrupting Beyond's thoughts and shooting a hate-filled glare at Beyond through tear-reddened eyes. "_Do_ share your plan."

"You will shut your mouth, Mihael Keehl," Beyond said coldly, never looking up once from his papers -_because I don't know what I'd do to the blonde fucker if I let myself go over there maybe carve his blue eyes out-no, no, no, L wouldn't like that, would he?-_ "or I shall do it for you-permanently, this time. I've no time for your remarks, and I'm not in the mood for them, either."

Wisely, hearing the barely-restrained anger in Beyond's baritone voice and the tension that threatened to make L's twin snap, Mello fell silent. However, refusing to simply take it lying down, he settled for keeping his glare upon Beyond.

Beyond ignored it, though, and silence pervaded the room as he looked through file over file, his emotionless eyes flitting over paper after paper, muttering to himself as he sorted through them, tossing some off to the side while laying others in neat piles.

He had a plan-_at least I think I've got a plan will it work maybe not it should it had better because I know I'm going fucking nuts, bonkers, psycho and everyone can see it but I'm holding myself together for L always for L and you should be proud of me Lawli for holding myself together for so long-_ and he just hoped that he could pull it off.

L had been their mastermind, their plan-maker. He was the one who crafted such beautifully intricate plans, pulling the strings like a puppetmaster to make Kira and everyone else dance to their tune. Beyond was simply the one who carried out L's orders, because he had neither the patience nor inclination to make these plans, but God, did he love to see them coming together when all went well.

But watching them crash and burn wasn't so fun- _no, it was painful, because L had crashed and burned, his flaming body skidding right into Kira's hands and instead of dousing L in water like he needed, Kira was only throwing gasoline on L and God how he HATED THAT BASTARD KIRA!_

Finally, he tossed the last file off to the side carelessly. Watari discreetly picked them all up and disappeared to sort them- not that Beyond cared, because he had more important things to do- and picked up the neat stack. He shuffled them into a neater pile, then dropped them on the table, the loud thump gaining the attention of all those whose minds had wandered.

"…We failed to free L." Beyond hated the way the words fell from his mouth. They tasted bitter and acidic, leaving a sour taste in his mouth long after they had been said, hovering in the silence of the room.

"No shit, Sherlock," Matt muttered, a weary look on his haggard face. He had put away his Gameboy, though, giving Beyond his undivided attention and indicating that he was intent on getting serious as well.

L's absence had revealed how truly divided and scattered they were without his guidance, and it was glaringly obvious they needed him back before something happened. Like Mello and Beyond stabbing or otherwise murdering each other.

_No, that wouldn't be good. L would be sad, and I can't have him sad when he comes home, can I?_

"But it was through no one's fault," Beyond continued, staring down each member, trying to reassure them even as he dared them to refute his words, lie the blame on someone-him.

"Kira used a digital lock and was using his own private security cameras. There was no way that Matt could have cut the power to them, because the power box for them is located in his personal room. There was no way to free L without compromising the location of the base or the lives of everyone here."

There was a bit of shifting as Beyond's words were taken in, digested, and then acknowledged.

"Alright," Mello said, leaning back. "So you sacrificed L to save all of us. Very fucking noble," he said sarcastically, clapping his hands a few times. "But that doesn't change the fact that this whole fucking thing failed and we still don't have L. We don't have a plan, because he didn't leave another one in case the one he came up with failed. So what now?"

Beyond stared hard at Mello for a moment, before dropping his eyes down to the table, resting on the files. "You're partly right," he said quietly. "L didn't leave us another plan. But that doesn't mean that we can't come up with one on our own," he finished, looking up, his tone fervent and intense.

"Us?" Mello snorted disbelievingly. "Yeah, we could, but L was the one in charge of all the plannings. He was the only one who knew all of the contacts that we needed to get ahold of stuff, and the only one who could come up with a plan that would actually work."

"I have his contacts," Beyond said quietly. "And I have a plan. L's not the only one who can make them up here."

"You?" Mello scoffed, folding his arms. "I doubt anything your fucked-up, crazy mind could come up with would actually work."

"Do you have anything else?" Beyond challenged, slamming his hands down flat on the table. "I have an idea to get L back, and it's a damn sight better than what you have-which is nothing," Beyond snarled.

"So enlighten us," Mello shot back, standing up and spreading his arms wide. "Tell us this marvelous plan that will get us L."

Beyond's eyes narrowed in loathing, before he barked out, "Near."

At his words, the white- haired youth stood up and grabbed a bag that had been lying at his feet, handing it off to Beyond.

"What are you doing?" Matsuda suddenly asked as they watched Beyond tip the bag over, wooden blocks spilling onto the table. Beyond said nothing, but silently and intently began to build a pyramid out of the blocks, lining each one up perfectly as Near went and sat back down, pulling up his leg and hugging his knee to his chest.

"Be patient," Near murmured, shooting a glance over to Mello, who looked utterly irritated at the proceedings. "He does have a plan."

"What, playing with blocks like a child?" Mello sneered contemptuously.

Near snapped his head around, narrowing his dark eyes at Mello in annoyance. "_I_ play with those blocks as well, Mello. Are you calling me a child?"

Mello blinked and then quailed slightly under Near's withering look, falling silent.

A few seconds later, Beyond dropped the black bag to the ground, the thump that sounded as it landed drawing everyone's attention back to him. "This," Beyond said without preamble, gesturing to the pyramid, "is Kira's world."

There was silence for a moment, everyone looking at the pyramid as if it held some sort of great scheme or the answer to their problems, before Matt spoke up. "Okay…" Matt said, leaning forwards, tired eyes gazing at the pyramid speculatively. "I feel like you're going somewhere with this shit, like using it as a model or something, but I'm not seeing it."

Beyond ignored Matt and rested a hand gently upon the top of the pyramid, tapping a pale, spindly finger upon the very top block. "And this… this is Kira himself," Beyond said, his red eyes wide and slightly unseeing as he gazed at the pyramid.

Those in the room had a sense, a feeling that Beyond was not fully seeing them, but was instead seeing his own plan in his mind. It was the same look that L got sometimes when he had an idea and was running over it in his mind. "Kira rules at the top of his world. He is at the very top- the finishing touch to his world. He is the centerpiece of the pyramid- the pyramid is incomplete without him. But…" Beyond continued, a dark smirk twisting his red lips into an unpleasant sneer, "he is nothing without his support."

Beyond's hand trailed gently down to the very base of the pyramid, poking at one of the blocks. His action made one of the bottom blocks slide the smallest bit out of place, making the whole construction wobble before steadying itself once more.

Beyond's eyes came up to sweep across the room, and the smallest dawning of understanding went through the room.

"Damn," Mello breathed, blue eyes wide. "I think… I might be getting it. Take away the support for Kira…"

"Shh," Beyond grinned, a dark, coy smile flitting across his lips, raising his free hand to press a pale finger over red lips. "Be quiet, and listen." Mello fell silent, obeying for once, transfixed at the new revelation of what Beyond was planning.

He returned to his pyramid construction and tapped the top once more, making the Kira-block tremble. "We make the support for Kira waver, and Kira himself will tremble, for Kira's world is built upon a pyramid, and Kira is nothing without his backers." With a short bark of a laugh, Beyond yanked away a few of the very bottom blocks, and with a rattle and crash, the whole pyramid came tumbling down, collapsing into a mess of scattered wooden blocks.

"We take away Kira's support entirely," Beyond whispered, red eyes glinting, "and Kira will fall. I have a plan," Beyond continued, reaching down and picking through the blocks almost delicately, setting aside one after another in his quest to find the one he was looking for, "to make Kira's world crumble around him, until he has no other choice but to release L upon our demand."

Finally finding the bock he wanted-the pristine, Kira-block, Beyond held it up, examining it with an unhealthy thoroughness. "We make this work," Beyond whispered, so quietly that the others in the room had to strain to hear him, "and Kira will crumble."

"And how are we going to do that?" Wedy asked, suddenly speaking up. "There's only so much influence we hold. Not everyone's going to dance to your whims, no matter how much we wish they would. People are too scared to openly speak against Kira, because even though Kira won't kill them, his mass of supporters will"

"That," Beyond breathed, still looking over the block, "is what those are for," he pointed behind him, at the stack of files arranged into an orderly pile. "In those files are the names and reports of each person who is a staunch Kira supporter and supplies him with resources or criminals- the heads of police, FBI, government positions, companies, everyone who Kira is subconsciously reliant upon." A small grin grew upon Beyond's face as he tossed the block over his shoulder, a small crack appearing in the wood as it hit the hard floor, marring the pristine surface.

"Unfortunately for Kira, they are also secret L-supporters, with enough money and resources to protect themselves from any Kira-supporters wanting to harm them," Beyond chuckled darkly.

"I get what you're saying, B, and fuck me, but it's brilliant and could actually work- however I much I hate admitting it," Mello said, "but why don't you make it clear and tell us what's going through your twisted, muddled little mind?"

"I'm going to pull Kira's world out from under his feet and make sure he has no chance of getting back up," Beyond hissed, his eyes open wide, as wide as they could get, his voice sharp and intense. "As L, I'll convince our secret supporters to withdraw support for Kira publicly. At the same time, I'll air a message worldwide, telling those who still support L and long for the old world to stand up and take action." He slammed a fist upon the table, leaning over it, panting from an onslaught of emotion that was overtaking him.

"It's time to come out of the shadows- we need to take action, or L is going to be locked up and out of our reach forever," Beyond continued, an angered tremble making his voice waver. "I hold faith that L can hold out against Kira, but there's always the slightest possibility that something will happen that will force him to give up information that will put us at risk. We can't hide anymore, because the shadows are no longer safe."

Beyond closed his eyes, shoulders shaking as he hissed, "Kira has chased and hounded us for years; I say it's time for us to return the favor. We will take a much more open stand against Kira now- we will deface his property, denounce his name, and rebel against him in any way possible. An open war, if you will."

And then, Beyond paused, before slowly opening his eyes, a deep rage burning in the bloodied depths, and a feral smile twisting his lips and raising them to expose gleaming teeth. "It will be Kira vs. L, and it will be a battle that the world will remember forever."

* * *

Everything was ruined. Fucking ruined, all because of L.

Clenching his fists, Light tried to get a handle on his temper before he did something he sincerely regretted- like choking the life out of L or wringing his pale neck and twisting it around so that it snapped off.

So very tempting. Because the little shit had just ruined every single one of the plans he had so very carefully laid.

Whirling away from the hole that Crimson had disappeared to, Kira was faced with a smirking L. The pleased, triumphant smile upon L's face only served to infuriate him more, and he clenched his fists as he approached the chained man, his face darkening.

"You," Light spat, unable to say anything more, having to pause to collect his voice and turn it calmer. He knew that his carefully crafted ideas of trying to win L over were going downhill, but at this point, so angry and enraged, he couldn't care less.

There were other ways of getting information out of L, after all.

"Yes," L agreed, chuckling with dark mirth. "Me."

"Why…?!" Light whispered maliciously. "Why would you do something like that?! You _idiot_!" Light voice rose steadily until he was almost shrieking the last word, hands shaking in rage as he held himself back, forced himself not to punch the smirking face in front of him.

"Is it not obvious, Kira? I did it to protect my brother. Love forces us to do crazy things; and my brother is the most precious thing to me," L said calmly, as it were the most simple thing in the world. And it was, really. By helping Crimson to escape, with that one simple action, he had practically doomed all of his plans to quell L's rebellion and obtain the Eyes.

"And the world I've so carefully crafted is the most precious thing to me!" Light yelled, his voice reverberating throughout the small cell. He had sacrificed so much for it, gone through so much… and with L allowing Crimson to escape, to continue the rebellion, he had threatened its very foundations. Luckily, it would not crumble because of this, but still…

L simply continued to stare at him, eyes calm and a small smirk flirting at the edges of his lips- he looked so smug, as if with the small action of allowing Crimson to escape, he had thwarted Light for good.

Stupid little criminal. Light was not so idiotic as to hinge everything on one plan. He had backup plans ready to be set into motion in case something happened, something like this. He had wanted to capture Crimson peacefully and control both L and the man with the Eyes without resorting to other means, but L had forced his hand.

Torture was not something he wanted to resort to, but if he had to, he would. He needed to bring these rebels under control before they sent his perfectly crafted world crumbling, and to do that, he needed their leader. He needed Crimson, and in order to get him, he needed leverage to force him to give up now that any chances of a capture had been eliminated.

He would be twice as wary now, fearful of any trap Light thought to set, and so this forced him to go to his backup plan. He needed Crimson's name to threaten him into compliance- blackmail was distasteful, but killing was much worse, and he had already done so for the sake of his world. If it was for his crime-free world, a small thing like blackmail could be excused.

Yes; he would blackmail Crimson into giving himself up, and then everything could proceed smoothly as he had wanted it to from there. There had been a small hitch in his plans for a moment, but Light was nothing if not clever and adaptable.

The only problem that was still remaining was getting L's name, and knowing how stubborn the criminal was, that would prove to be somewhat challenging.

If he had to resort to it… he would tear the name from L's throat, force him to tell. But he'd give L a chance, first. He did not relish the thought of having to stoop to bodily harming L if he could simply persuade him to give up his brother's name in order to save him.

Forcing himself to calm down now that his thoughts had been reordered and course of action decided upon, Light raised his eyes to meet L's calm, if not wary, ones. "L," Light said, quieter this time, though he couldn't fully dismiss all of the anger that bubbled within him upon staring at L, replaying what he had done in his mind. "I need his name. I don't like to resort to petty threats, but I will be forced to take alternative measures if you don't tell me your brother's name."

"Are you threating to harm me if I do not?" L asked softly, eyes narrowing a fraction, a flicker of uncertainty flashing momentarily through them.

He detested having to resort to this, hated seeing the way L's face went just a tad whiter upon hearing his threat, but he had told himself that he would do this if need be. And it was needed. There was no room for regrets, not when it came to helping keep the world he had so carefully crafted upright and out of L's grasping hands. And he needed to bring Crimson- the new L- down if he wanted to remain in control. "If you want to put it that way, yes," Light said, locking eyes with L and allowing him to see that he was deadly serious about this. "I won't allow your stubbornness to get in the way of something that will be beneficial to the world I've so carefully built up. I've been lenient with you thus far, L. But your persistent bull-headedness has caused me nothing but problems, and that needs to come to an end."

"You call this lenient?" L scoffed, no doubt trying to distract him.

"I could have done worse, L," Light said. "I could have simply let Mikami kill you or otherwise do you harm. I could have resorted to physical harm right away to get what I needed, instead of trying more peaceful ways to get it. I should like to think that I've been somewhat kind to you, when with all the trouble you've caused me, I had any and all rights to do so much worse."

"You have no rights to do anything whatsoever to me, Kira," L hissed, face tightening in anger. "You had no right to interfere with the world as you have, either. You had and still have no right to kill those that you've perceived as having done wrong."

"And...I cannot tell you his name, Kira," L continued, bowing his head and looking at the ground.

"Damn it, L! Tell me his name!" Light yelled, losing his composure entirely. Everything was going downhill, his perfect plans slipping and sliding through his fingers like grains of sand, with L's denial to tell him Crimson's real name, and there was nothing he could do but desperately clutch at them, trying to frantically repair what had been done by L's simple act.

Couldn't L tell that he was desperate not to have to resort to pain to obtain Crimson's true name?! He didn't want to have to harm L, damnit!

"I. Cannot." L spat, glaring up venomously through his long, inky bangs, black eyes snapping with anger. "Doing so would betray his trust. Tell me Kira, have you ever had someone you loved with all of your heart? Have you ever felt the pain, have you ever felt how goddamn much it hurts to hurt those you love? I highly doubt it, Kira," L hissed. "Or should I say, Killer? For that is what your name is in my language- not God, nor any sort of deity. Just. Killer."

"You go too far, L" Kira warned darkly, stepping closer to L, towering over him menacingly. "Tell me his name, and I will spare him. This is me offering mercy, L- would a _killer_ do that?"

"You would not spare him," L argued defiantly- he knew Kira, and he would not spare Beyond if he knew his brother's bloody history. If not for Beyond's connection to him, in fact, L would no doubt have pursued and prosecuted Beyond himself. "Your high-standing morals would not allow you to let him live once you learned who he really was. And mercy? Hah," L scoffed scornfully. "Chaining me up like a common beast inside a cell is not what I'd call mercy, Killer."

"You are a criminal, L. I let you live," Light said quietly. Though there was a hardened, steel-like tone to his voice, making it threatening and deadly. "I can kill you, though, if that's what you prefer. I could write your name down right now, and you'd be dead in forty seconds."

"Then why not do it?!" L cried, raising his head and glaring at Kira, anger sparking in his obsidian eyes. He was tired of straddling the line, wondering if Kira would kill him or not- the information he possessed was valuable, yes, but Kira seemed to be subject to dark fits of rage that sometimes controlled him and led him to make rash, hasty decisions. "Stop threatening, goddamn it, and just fucking do it! Either let me go or kill me, for I'm tired of being chained up and imprisoned!"

"No, L," Light said, shaking his head, regarding L coldly. "You will not be freed, not after what you've done, and because of the information you hold. But I promise not to kill that man if you give me his name," Light promised, though it made him grit his teeth to do so. "And you… you will not be killed, either. Give me his name, and you will live-"

"For now," L countered. "But how long am I going to live? Until you get tired of me, or until you've pumped me for all the information I'm good for? Besides, if you knew all that he'd done, you would kill him without a second thought, even if it meant breaking your promise. _You would not spare him!_" L yelled, a slight flush spreading over pale cheekbones as he got worked up, obsidian eyes blazing with anger.

"I told you I would spare him- I'm not one to go back on my promises so easily," Light said and their positions were reversed, now. L was the one angry, while Light stood back and watched calmly.

"You lie," L hissed bluntly. "You say that you only judge those who are criminals, yet you've killed those who are not."

"That was in the beginning, while I was trying to get where I am today. Yes, I killed a few innocent people, but sacrifices sometimes have to be made for the greater good."

"No. I'm not talking about when you first came into the persona of Kira. I'm talking about recently. You do kill innocents even today, Kira."

"Now who's lying?" Light sneered. "I don't-"

"Kokori Otouhara."

The single name that fell from L's lips stopped him short, cutting him off. Taken aback, he simply stared at L, confusion momentarily passing through him. "What?"

"Male, aged 35," L stated quietly. "Killed by Kira for robbing a convenience store."

This new change of events set Light's mind to racing, trying to figure what L was about. He didn't remember a man by that name; but then again, he had judged so many with the Death Note that it would be impossible to remember every single one. "What are you-"

"You probably don't remember him very well, if at all," L continued, as if Light had not spoken. "He had 5 children and a wife. His wife was unemployed, as was he, and his children were starving. The only reason he robbed the store was to gain money so he could buy food so his children would not starve to death."

"I don't know where you're going with this, but-"

L continued speaking, his eyes rising to meet Light's in a hard glare. "Jacqueline Romero. Female, aged 17. Killed the father that was raping her every night, and in turn, was killed by Kira."

"That was-"

"Nathaniel Jacobson. Male, aged 39. Big-time gang member. Killed and tortured 13 people before he was apprehended, but the only reason he did it was so that the people he got mixed up with didn't do the same to him and his family. He protected them, before the guilt got too great and he allowed the police to catch him and put him away."

"You need to-"

"These were all people that Kira killed. These were all people who _had _to commit crimes to save themselves or their families. Would you say that they were evil? Would you stand idly by if your father raped you every night? Would you simply leave your children or starve, or take a chance to feed them, even if it meant committing a robbery?" L asked, his eyes hard and voice insistent.

"Your opinions are biased," Light said evasively, refusing to answer that, because truthfully, he didn't _know_. And he refused to let L have the satisfaction of knowing that.

"And then…Rue Ryuuzaki." L's voice softened the slightest upon saying this man's name, strangely. "Male. Aged 25. Killed 27 people who had been killers, rapists, and thieves themselves. Vigilantism. He was exactly the same as you, Kira. And yet, you killed him," L whispered, though his voice proceeded to grow as he continued to speak. "You killed a less-famous version of yourself. Now tell me, Kira, does that mean that you think, subconsciously, that you should die as well? Because at the end of the day, when there are not more criminals to kill, when there are finally no more criminals to judge, the only killer left will be yourself, Kira. Will you turn the Death Note upon yourself then, and truly rid the world of all evil?" L sneered, eyes snapping in anger and in satisfaction.

The words disturbed Light more than he'd care to admit- because he'd pondered the results of creating a crime-free world with such methods as the Death Note more than once, and Ryuk had posed the same question that L was now attacking him with. It was a disturbing question, one that Light didn't want to face.

This revelation upset him greatly, and he let out an angry growl as he snapped. He slashed a hand down and grabbed ahold of the front of L's shirt, pulling him up and then threw him against the wall. A dark satisfaction spread through him as he heard the sharp gasp L let out as his back hit the hard stone, chains rattling at the movement.

He allowed L no time to recover as he pressed a forearm against L's chest to keep him there and prevent him from sliding down the wall. At eye level now, and so close, Light was clearly able to meet L's eyes, staring deep into the obsidian depths as he hissed, rage burning through him, "You push me too far, L!"

L only let out a feral smile, pleased at being able to nettle his adversary so thoroughly and push him over the edge. It gave him a sort of sick satisfaction to see Kira lose control like this, to poke and prod and push at the man who had forced him and his brother into hiding and threatened their very existence. It pleased him to cause annoyance to the man who had taken his whole world from him. "How far is too far, Kira?" he whispered, feeling a strange thrill run down his spine at seeing the way Kira's amber eyes narrowed into vicious slits.

It was almost like playing with fire, what he was doing, or provoking a lion, and it was utterly exciting.

And then… there was the odd feeling that spread throughout him at being this close to Kira, feeling the man's warm breath wash over his lips in angry pants, and see the way his amber eyes turned to a fiery golden brown in his anger.

Kira was quite the lovely man, L realized with a start. He had never noticed it before, simply seeing Kira as _Kira_, the killer, but now, this close and being able to thoroughly examine his features… Light Yagami, Kira, was exceedingly handsome.

How strange, to suddenly realize this now. And even odder, to find this thought… attracting. The thought greatly disturbed him, and he shook his head slightly, trying to get his mind back on track and away from the confusing thoughts plaguing him. "What will happen if I do?" L forced out, forcing his mind away from the way Kira's body felt quite thrilling, pressed so firmly against his. He desperately tried to convince himself that it was just the adrenalin that came from verbally sparring with a man that could kill him if he spoke one wrong word, and not something else that had a darker interpretation. "Will you kill me, then, if I push too hard? Kira does seem to have such a black temperament…" he said mockingly.

Light stopped, taking a moment to calm down. L… the little bastard was trying to provoke him. Did he want to die?!

"…No. I see what you are attempting to do, L," Light said, releasing his grip slightly, though he still kept L restrained. How tantalizing, to be so close to L like this, see the pale lips set in a firm, angry line and see the way his obsidian eyes seemed to glitter in dark satisfaction both at thwarting his attempts and in his ability to push Light so far. "You won't force me to kill you. I won't do that. Neither will you distract me from the matter of your brother's name."

"…I've told you already, Kira. Do what you will; I will not give it to you," L said with firm finality.

There was a pause as Light searched L's eyes, looking for any sign that he was not sound in his decision. "Is that your final stance on the matter?"

"Yes."

"Then so be it," Light nodded, withdrawing and stepping away. L stumbled forwards for just a moment before he righted himself, gazing back up at Light, who in return was staring at him with a mixture of anger and regret in his amber eyes.

He met L's eyes for just a moment before he turned away, shaking his head. "Damn it, L... I didn't want to have to do this," he said quietly.

L paused, assessing the tense lines of the man's back before saying tentatively, "Then don't. Let me go, let things go back to the way they were, and you will not have to."

"No," Light said firmly, as L knew he would. "I've come too far; I've gained too much to simply let it go. You've made your decision, L, just as I have made mine."

L's eyes hardened upon hearing his refusal. It would seem that they had reached an impasse; Kira would do anything to get Beyond's name, and he would not give up the name no matter what the man threatened. Beyond was far too precious and important to both him and the world to simply offer him up on a platter to Kira; he'd go through anything to keep Beyond safe. "…This will do nothing but hinder you, Kira. By doing this, any chance of getting me to give you his name peacefully is gone."

"…That may be so," Light acknowledged. This was something he had thought of, that by doing this, he would eradicate any chance of persuading L to foster any positive feelings for him. But the discovery that Crimson was L's brother- and a twin at that-had thrown a kink into his plannings. He highly doubted L would be willing to give up the name through persuasion. L and his brother's bond seemed very strong, and as such, strong methods would need to be used to gain his name L.

"But I've no other choice; I just hope that you know it was you who led me to do this," Light said, resting a hand on the concrete frame of the cell door, hating himself for having to resort to such methods, yet knowing that he _needed_ that name, and as such, there was no other choice.

And then, though he hadn't intended to say it, to show any sign of doubt, his next words slipped out of his mouth unintentionally. "I don't _want_ to, but I… will. I can't… Mikami will be coming for you first thing tomorrow morning. I…" Light cut off the flow of words before he could say any other damning things. He couldn't allow L to see him waver; he needed to show that he was serious, and didn't lack conviction. L needed to be convinced that he didn't harbor any reservations; it would make his job easier if L was sure that he wouldn't quail or back away from doing this.

His own, personal feelings about the matter were not to be considered. He couldn't acknowledge them; the safety and prosperity of the world he had worked so hard to create were more important than the fact that he wished for L to work alongside him.

Any thoughts, any chance of L working with him peacefully, converted to his side, vanished the moment he had witnessed L kissing his twin. L might work with him if coerced and blackmailed into it, but there would always be resentment and loathing towards Light for doing so. L would never work with him willingly, because if he had analyzed L's words correctly, his brother had been a criminal, and that was part of the reason he was so desperate to keep Crimson's true name out of his hands.

As such, there was no more need for gentle persuasions; things had taken an unplanned turn, and this was the end it had led him to. But just because this was the outcome, it didn't mean that he liked where it had led to. This was not a road chosen of his own decision.

"What, Kira?" L asked, seeing the way Light had trailed off, wondering what he was thinking that made his eyes turn so regretful. Kira couldn't possibly be regretting this decision, could he?

Preposterous. Kira cared for nothing but his world. Regrets at using force to get information out of him was not something that Kira would be feeling; he'd probably be jumping at the chance to return the favor for the years L had tormented him in his rebellion.

But then… why did he sound so hesitant..?

"I…" Kira said, before he paused once more, seeming as if he were struggling to find words. He collected himself after a moment, though, and continued. "…However, I will give you one last chance. Think over what has transpired today. I'll ask you one more time tomorrow, before it's too late."

Second chances? L was somewhat taken aback at this. Kira didn't seem like one to offer such things; much less to a common criminal who had caused him so much trouble.

Perhaps… maybe L's evaluation of Kira's personality needed going over again. Eyeing the man, L took in the slump of the shoulders and subtle downturn of Kira's full lips. He didn't seem to be exceptionally anticipatory of the new turn events had taken, as L would have thought. And offering him a second chance, another chance to avoid tomorrow's events- that definitely bespoke the fact that Kira was having qualms about his decision.

However, Kira was wasting his words. Nothing, nothing would make him change his mind. He would not, and would never betray Beyond. And there was no doubt that Beyond was working to free him; his twin was not one to give up, especially with the amount of hatred he held towards Kira. He would do everything in his power to get L back and kill the man in front of him, L knew. If he could hold out, there was no doubt that Beyond would come for him. He just had to stay strong. "My answer will be the same then as it is now," L said without hesitation on the matter.

A flicker passed through Kira's lovely eyes before he nodded slightly. "I know. But I had hoped…" Kira whispered, before he let go of the doorframe, opened the cell door and exited silently without another word, leaving L in confusion at the implications held within his last few words.

What else could have Kira wanted?


End file.
